The IDF on Sunday identified six Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives it eliminated in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya a day earlier, including a Hamas terrorist who participated in the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

According to the IDF, two of the operatives were using a drone for attacks on Israeli forces when they were targeted in an initial strike. When a second group arrived to recover the drone equipment, the IDF carried out another precision strike, eliminating additional operatives.

In a statement, the IDF revealed that some of the killed terrorists were operating under the guise of journalists, exploiting humanitarian protections to shield their terror activities.

The IDF named the six neutralized terrorists, confirming their direct ties to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad:

• Mustafa Mohammed Shaaban Hamed – A Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre.
• Mahmoud Yahya Rashdi as-Saraj – A member of Hamas’s engineering forces involved in weapons manufacturing.
• Bilal Mahmood Fuad Abu Matar – A Hamas operative who used the cover of a photographer to aid terror operations.
• Mahmoud Imad Hassan Isleem – A Hamas Zeitoun Battalion member, masquerading as a journalist.
• Suheib Bassem Khaled Najar – A Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative recently freed in the hostage-ceasefire deal.
• Mohammed Alaa Suhbi al-Jafir – A Hamas operative involved in logistical operations.

Palestinian sources claim that nine people were killed, including journalists and humanitarian workers. The Al-Khair Foundation, an organization with alleged ties to Hamas, reported that eight of its workers were killed, denying Israeli allegations of terror affiliations.

The IDF, however, has identified Al-Khair as a front for Hamas, facilitating financial and logistical support to terror groups under the guise of humanitarian aid. Israeli intelligence has previously linked Al-Khair to a senior Hamas official operating within the organization.

In a separate operation, Israel struck two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon on Sunday. The IDF confirmed that the two terrorists were conducting surveillance on the border and had been involved in planning attacks on Israel from the Yater and Mays al-Jabal region.

“These terrorists’ actions violated the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said, emphasizing that it remains committed to targeting terror operatives who threaten Israel, regardless of ceasefire agreements.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)