The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that it had successfully targeted and killed a Hamas commander responsible for leading the militant group's drone operations in northern Gaza. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, the targeted individual, was reportedly involved in directing drone attacks towards Israeli territory and troops.
Following the launch of a new ground operation in the region, the Israeli military has been engaged in an intense offensive in northern Gaza for over a week. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they have conducted operations resulting in the elimination of 50 militants through close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes in Jabalya.
In a separate incident in the southern Rafah area, the IDF used drones to neutralize an armed terrorist cell that was allegedly planning an attack on IDF troops.
Concerns have been raised by the United Nations regarding the situation in northern Gaza, with claims that Israel is effectively sealing off the area and potentially engaging in a large-scale forced transfer of civilians, which could constitute a war crime. The UN also highlighted that all food shipments to northern Gaza have been blocked by Israel since the beginning of the month, as reported by the World Food Programme.
