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IDF, Shin Bet kill six terrorist operatives in southern Gaza strikes

An Israeli tank patrols inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on June 21, 2026. Photo by Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90.
An Israeli tank patrols inside the Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on June 21, 2026. Photo by Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90.
Tsafrir Abayov/Flash90

The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Wednesday that they killed six terrorist operatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Army of Islam in three airstrikes near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza on Sunday and Monday.

Those killed included Mahmoud Jihad Mohammad Qafa, identified by the military as a Hamas sniper-cell commander; Asaad Suleiman Salman Qashta, accused of facilitating weapons smuggling for the Army of Islam; and Shaher Mohammad Zaarab, described as a commander in Hamas’s Nukhba Force, the elite unit that led the Oct. 7 massacre.

The IDF said the six had been planning attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians and rebuilding terrorist capabilities in violation of the ceasefire.

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