The IDF and Shin Bet intelligence agency said they carried out a targeted strike that eliminated Haitham Razek Abd al-Karim Sheikh Khalil, the commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion, in Gaza City. The strike targeted a Hamas command and control center located approximately one kilometer from IDF troops, from which terrorists were planning and launching attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. Khalil was a key figure in the October 7th massacre, having led the infiltration into Nahal Oz. Since then, he had been heavily involved in planning and executing attacks against IDF forces, including planting explosives and booby-trapping combat zones. He previously served as head of Hamas’ tunnel operations and a Nukhba (elite unit) platoon commander, with a history of attacks on Israeli troops. Khalil rose to command the Shejaiya Battalion after the eliminations of his predecessors, Jamil Wadia and Fahim Farhat. --- Separately, I noticed that Haitham appeared on a list of targets the IDF published over a year ago. It appears the IDF got their man.
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