Israeli Military Operations in Gaza: Strikes, Casualties, and Hamas Leader’s Family Involved

Israeli air, ground, and naval forces targeted Hamas sites in central Gaza on Wednesday night, according to the Israel Defense Forces’ statement on Thursday. Prior to the deployment of troops, aircraft attacked Hamas infrastructure both above and below ground.

An armed terrorist was observed emerging from a tunnel opening and heading towards a military facility near Israeli soldiers. As he neared the troops, a military aircraft targeted and struck the gunman. Numerous rocket launchers were found in the vicinity.

The Israeli Navy carried out targeted strikes along the central Gaza coastline to back up ground troops. Additionally, Israel verified the deaths of three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike that occurred on Wednesday.

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) identified Amir Haniyeh as a Hamas squad commander. Hazem and Mohammad Haniyeh were characterized as “military operatives.” The Shin Bet stated that the three were “en route to carry out terror activity in the area of central Gaza” when their vehicle was struck in the Shati refugee camp, located in Gaza City. Additionally, four grandchildren of Ismail Haniyeh were in the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Haniyeh, residing in Qatar, is believed to possess assets totaling around USD 4 billion, with his family holding numerous real estate assets in Gaza. Israeli authorities have recently detained Haniyeh’s sister, Zebah Abdel Salem Haniyeh, who holds Israeli citizenship, on charges related to terrorism.

On October 7, Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border resulted in at least 1,200 fatalities and the taking of 240 hostages, including Israelis and foreigners. Recently, Israel has confirmed the death of 31 of the remaining 134 hostages.