On Tuesday, Israel reported the killing of Ahmed Aish Salame al-Hashash, a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), in Khan Younis, Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that al-Hashash, who led the PIJ’s rocket and missile unit in Rafah, was targeted in an airstrike within a humanitarian zone.
The IDF claimed it had monitored the area from the air to minimize civilian casualties. However, Palestinian authorities reported additional casualties and injuries from another Israeli strike in the al-Bureij area, affecting six residential buildings.
The ongoing Gaza conflict, triggered by a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, has resulted in significant casualties on both sides. The IDF reports over 17,000 “terrorists” killed, while Hamas-controlled sources report a total of 41,252 deaths, though these figures are difficult to verify independently.