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The IDF announced Thursday it had killed several senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives in targeted airstrikes in Gaza, as fighting between Israel and terror factions continued to intensify.
Meanwhile, the families of hostages held in Gaza urged military officials to prioritize their rescue, warning that increased military pressure could put their loved ones at greater risk.
Israeli airstrikes overnight killed Ayman Atsalih, the head of Hamas’ General Security apparatus in Khan Younis, and Rashid Jahjuh, who led the organization’s General Security Forces in Gaza, the military said.
In a separate strike, Israeli forces also eliminated Ismail Abd al-Aal, a key operative in PIJ’s weapons smuggling network.
The IDF and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed that Jahjuh had taken over Hamas’ General Security Forces after his predecessor Sami Ouda was eliminated by Israeli forces in July 2024 alongside Rawhi Mushtaha, Hamas’ top political leader in Gaza.
According to the IDF, Hamas’ General Security apparatus is one of the organization’s most secretive and influential bodies, tasked with identifying suspected collaborators, protecting senior Hamas figures and assets both in Gaza and abroad and suppressing opposition to the group’s rule.
As IDF operations intensified, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement warning that expanded ground operations and airstrikes could endanger the captives held by Hamas.
“We must return to a ceasefire and a deal that ensures the immediate release of all hostages in one stage—there is no other way,” the group said. “Gambling with their lives is an irreversible moral stain.”
Addressing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior commanders, the families stressed, “You have a moral duty to rescue the hostages. Some are IDF soldiers who were abducted while serving under your command.”
Before announcing the targeted killings, the IDF warned residents of Bani Suheila, a suburb of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, to evacuate immediately.
Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, said the warning was issued after terror groups launched rockets from civilian areas. “We have issued multiple warnings. For your safety, you must immediately move westward to humanitarian zones,” Adraee said in a statement.
The evacuation order came after earlier in the day, air raid sirens sounded across central Israel as rockets were fired from Gaza for the first time in months.
Hamas claimed responsibility, saying it had launched a barrage of M90 mid-range rockets “in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians.” The last time rockets from Gaza triggered alarms in central Israel was on October 7, 2024, marking the anniversary of Hamas’ deadly attack on Israeli border communities.
In Rishon LeZion, shrapnel landed in four locations across the city, though no injuries or property damage were reported. Security teams were dispatched to assess the situation.
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According to the IDF, one rocket was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, while two others landed in open areas. Sirens were heard in Tel Aviv, Holon, Ramat Gan, Or Yehuda and other cities across the Gush Dan region.
The rocket fire coincided with Israel’s renewed ground operations in northern Gaza, where two battalion combat teams, backed by the 188th Armored Brigade, took positions in Beit Lahia.
Overnight, Israeli airstrikes targeted around 40 underground Hamas sites, terror operatives, and weapons facilities, the military said.