The commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad‘s rocket unit in the northern Gaza Strip was killed in an Israeli airstrike at the start of December, the Israel Defense Forces revealed on Tuesday.
Anas Muhammad Saadi Masri was responsible for commanding and executing many attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, including rocket launches at communities in southern Israel during and after the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.
The IDF emphasized that numerous steps were taken before the strike on Sasdi to minimize harm to civilians.
“The IDF and ISA (Shin Bet) will continue to target anyone who carried out terror activities against Israeli civilians and operate in order to achieve the goals of the war,” the statement said.
IDF destroys Hamas tunnel network hidden in Rafah mosque
The IDF’s Nahal Brigade, operating in the Rafah area of southern Gaza over the last few months, uncovered and destroyed significant Hamas underground infrastructure, including tunnels hidden in a mosque.
Throughout its operations, the brigade encountered Hamas’s use of civilian structures for terrorism.
תוואי תת-קרקעי בתוך מבנה ששימש כמסגד, מאות מחבלים מחוסלים ועשרות מבצעים: לוחמי צוות הקרב של חטיבת הנח״ל השלימו לחימה של שבעה חודשים במרחב רפיח
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 31, 2024
לכל הפרטים:https://t.co/zXuO7sdMOS pic.twitter.com/U9AIp6LC91
The forces located many weapons, destroyed thousands of terrorist assets and eliminated several Hamas operatives.
“During the fighting, they shot at us from a mosque. After the attack, we neutralized the terrorists and entered the mosque,” said Nahal Brigade Commander Lt. Col. Ronen. “Here you can see the mosque from which they fired at us. After searching the mosque, we discovered a significant underground network inside it—as shown here.”
The brigade, in coordination with the Yahalom Unit, concluded its operations in Rafah, which involved 15 major operations, and has now shifted focus to the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza.
Gaza rocket fired at Israel
The IDF said that it was reviewing the results of an interception attempt of a rocket launched from southern Gaza at Israel that set off sirens at 12:20 p.m. local time in communities near the Strip.
No injuries were reported.
