The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that its troops had eliminated the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization’s chief of operations in a recent airstrike on the Gaza Strip.
The IDF said that Muhammad Abu Sakhil was killed in a “precise strike” on the Gaza Strip on Nov. 10. The Israeli military said it took numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians before launching the strike.
It is unclear whether any civilians were killed or injured in the attack.
The IDF described Sakhil as a significant figure within the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, alleging that he oversaw the group’s terrorist activities and coordinated attacks with Hamas against Israeli troops in Gaza.
Sakhil was also responsible for compiling situational assessments for the Iranian-backed group, the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli military alleged that Sakhil had been operating from a command and control center located within a compound that previously functioned as a school in the northern Gaza Strip.
“This is another example of the Islamic Jihad’s systematic exploitation of civilian infrastructure and the civilian population as a human shield for its terrorist activities,” the IDF stated.
The center denounced the IDF’s attack and urged the international community to take immediate action to end “Israel’s collective punishment of civilians” and hold those responsible accountable.
The IDF said on Nov. 10 that its forces had eliminated “dozens of terrorists” and dismantled “many terror infrastructure sites,” including a weapons storage facility, in Jabalia over the past day.
“We are sending Hamas a very clear message: the IDF does not tire,” Herzi Halevi, chief of the IDF’s General Staff in Jabalia, said on Nov. 8. “We are progressing with great intensity.”
Israel also sent troops to Beit Lahia in northern Gaza to eliminate terrorists. The IDF said it had discovered weaponry and a tunnel shaft in the area, without elaborating further on the discovery.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after Hamas-led terrorists carried out widespread attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. More than 1,100 people were killed and 250 taken hostage during that attack.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza health department said that Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza has led to more than 43,600 deaths to date.
