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The Israeli military confirmed on Thursday that its forces killed a senior Hamas commander and his deputy in a targeted strike in Rafah earlier this week. The announcement came hours after troops also opened fire on a terrorist who crossed the Yellow Line in southern Gaza.
In its evening statement, the IDF said soldiers from the 7th Brigade identified a militant approaching their position and posing an “immediate threat.” The individual had crossed the Yellow Line, a designated warning boundary used to prevent surprise attacks on ground forces.
Troops “opened fire in order to remove the threat,” the military said, adding that a hit was confirmed. It remains unclear whether the militant survived. The separate and more significant development came in a detailed Thursday release, in which the IDF confirmed the death of Muhammad Jawad Muhammad al-Bawab, commander of Hamas’s Eastern Rafah Battalion.
According to the military, al-Bawab played a key operational role during the October 7 attack and continued directing assaults on Israeli troops throughout the Gaza war.
Al-Bawab and three other Hamas operatives, including his deputy, were killed in a Sunday strike conducted after what the IDF described as precise intelligence collection. The military said the commander was deeply involved in planning ambushes, coordinating militant movements, and maintaining Hamas’s operational structure in Rafah.
The strike, carried out by Israeli aircraft, targeted what the IDF called al-Bawab’s “inner operational circle.” The military said the operation disrupted Hamas’s command network in the southern sector, where fighting has intensified in recent weeks.
Images released by the IDF showed soldiers conducting building searches in eastern Rafah as part of broader operations to locate tunnels, weapons caches, and suspected militant hideouts. The military said these activities are part of ongoing efforts to dismantle Hamas’s battalion-level capabilities.
Israeli officials have repeatedly emphasized Rafah as one of Hamas’s last major strongholds in Gaza. The Eastern Rafah Battalion is considered one of the group’s remaining organized fighting forces, even as months of air and ground operations have significantly reduced Hamas’s operational infrastructure elsewhere in the Strip.
Military analysts say the killing of al-Bawab marks a notable tactical achievement for Israel, though they warn that Hamas’s decentralized command structure allows surviving units to continue operating despite leadership losses.
Still, removing a commander responsible for coordinating Rafah-area combat operations could disrupt the group’s immediate ability to mount organized counterattacks.
The IDF’s confirmation also coincides with ongoing clashes along multiple fronts in southern Gaza. Troops continue to report ambush attempts, explosive devices, and armed militants approaching Israeli positions, particularly near areas where the army is conducting tunnel demolition missions.
The incident involving the Yellow Line underscores the continued risks facing ground forces deployed in dense combat zones. The IDF said rules of engagement remain strict but allow swift action when militants pose “a direct and immediate threat” to troops.
Thursday’s announcements come as international attention remains focused on the humanitarian and security situation in Rafah. Israel maintains that its operations target only militant infrastructure, while humanitarian organizations warn of worsening conditions for civilians displaced multiple times during the conflict.
As operations continue, the IDF indicated it will maintain pressure on remaining Hamas units, describing the elimination of key commanders as essential to degrading the group’s military structure. The military said intelligence and operational coordination in Rafah remain ongoing.
The confirmation of al-Bawab’s death, alongside that of his deputy and other militants, marks the latest in a series of targeted strikes aimed at dismantling Hamas’s leadership hierarchy as the conflict stretches into another month.