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IDF kills Islamic Jihad rocket cell commander in Gaza

Ahmed Abu Mughaysib was eliminated and additional terrorists were targeted in separate strikes.

An Israeli soldier stands in an armored vehicle during 252nd Division operations in the northern Gaza Strip, where the unit has completed a months-long mission, the IDF said on June 3, 2026. Credit: IDF.
An Israeli soldier stands in an armored vehicle during 252nd Division operations in the northern Gaza Strip, where the unit has completed a months-long mission, the IDF said on June 3, 2026. Credit: IDF.

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket cell commander and struck additional terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the military said on Wednesday.

Ahmed Abu Mughaysib, described as head of a rocket-launching cell in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, was killed in a strike in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The military said he was involved in planning attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and in facilitating weapons smuggling.

In separate overnight strikes in central Gaza, the IDF said it targeted several Hamas terrorists preparing attacks, killing one and hitting others.

Precision munitions and aerial surveillance were used to mitigate civilian harm, according to the military. Troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in line with the ceasefire agreement and will act against immediate threats, the IDF said.

IDF division ends four-month Gaza tunnel, weapons mission

The IDF’s 252nd Division has completed a four-month mission in the northern Gaza Strip, handing over responsibilities to the 99th Division, according to an IDF statement on Wednesday.

The military said the unit dismantled weapons depots, observation posts, combat compounds and other Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure above and below ground, including about seven kilometers (4.3 miles) of tunnels in and around Beit Hanoun.

According to the IDF, the division’s Fire Brigade killed more than 35 terrorists, among them gunmen who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and later threatened Israeli troops operating in Gaza.

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