An airstrike in Gaza City by the Israeli Air Force killed a commander in Hamas’s terrorist naval force, the Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday.
Ahmed Ali was responsible for “attacks on Israeli territory and against IDF ground troops operating in Gaza,” the IDF said. He was eliminated in a joint operation with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).
In the past weeks, he masterminded attacks that targeted IDF soldiers operating in the central Netzarim Corridor that splits the Strip.
“In his position, Ali in recent years has been involved in managing projects of the naval force of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Strip,” added the military.
Hamas’s naval division is believed to be one of its most classified and compartmentalized units. According to some assessments, it is the most important unit in its terrorist apparatus. Hamas began forming the unit more than a decade ago, upon the conclusion of the 2008 Gaza war.
While the organization has always sought to carry out terrorist acts via the sea, Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades realized that a highly trained and well-armed naval force would greatly contribute to its attack capabilities. Such a unit could also help smuggle weapons into Gaza.
In the past 24 hours, fighter jets have attacked more than 100 Hamas targets throughout Gaza, including terrorist bases, observation posts and launch positions, the IDF said earlier on Wednesday.
