The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday that they had successfully neutralized Wael Asafa, a senior commander within Hamas, who was one of the key figures behind the October 7th attack. In an official statement, the IDF stated, “The IDF eliminated Wael Asefa, Commander of Hamas’ Deir al-Balah Battalion. Asefa played a significant role in orchestrating the deployment of numerous terrorists with the intention of launching attacks, abducting, and causing harm to Israeli civilians on October 7th.
“The IDF further disclosed that this operation took place following actionable intelligence provided by the Shin Bet internal security service and was carried out through an airstrike on Sunday.
Wael Asafa’s history includes a prison term from 1992 to 1998 for his involvement in acts of terrorism against Israel.This development from the IDF follows a recent escalation of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, during which they have reported the elimination of several Hamas militants and the dismantling of critical infrastructure belonging to the group. Additionally, over the weekend, the IDF and Shin Bet jointly conducted an operation resulting in the elimination of Mustafa Dalul, commander of Hamas’s Sabra Tel al-Hawa Battalion.
On November 4, an Israeli drone targeted the residence of Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Gaza. Haniyeh, who serves as the political chief of the group, has resided outside the Gaza Strip since 2019, primarily splitting his time between Turkey and Qatar.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has made a commitment to locate and eliminate Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, who is believed to be hiding in a bunker.