The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) killed a Hamas terrorist this week who had infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, along with two other Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the two security arms said in a joint statement.
Abdallah Jahja, a terrorist in the Naval Force of Hamas’s “military” wing, invaded Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre in the northwestern Negev, and continued to advanced terrorist attacks in the maritime domain targeting IDF troops and Israeli civilians throughout the war and in recent days, the statement read.
Alongside Jahja, Mohammed al-Hawari, a cell commander in Hamas’s Zeitoun Battalion, and Sabhi Saqallah, an observation operative in the same battalion, were killed on Tuesday, the army and Shin Bet added.
Hamas’s soccer players
On Wednesday, the IDF identified 12 Palestinian soccer players, coaches and a FIFA referee who it said served in the “military” wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, explaining why it eliminated them and rejecting a false campaign accusing Israel of deliberately targeting athletes during the war in Gaza.
The military said that the men were targeted because of their involvement in terrorist activity, not because of their roles in soccer. According to the IDF, after they were killed, many were portrayed internationally as innocent players, coaches or referees, while their affiliations with terrorist organizations were ignored.
“These claims are proven to be false,” the IDF said, adding that the allegations mirror other campaigns portraying Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives as journalists, humanitarian aid workers and members of other protected professions.
Earlier this week, the Israeli military confirmed that it is constructing a physical barrier along the so-called “yellow line” in Gaza.
The confirmation came after the Associated Press presented the IDF with satellite imagery analyzed by the news agency. The military said that the project is part of a broader security zone aimed at preventing infiltration and protecting troops and nearby Israeli communities, outfitted with advanced intelligence and technological infrastructure.
Satellite imagery shows the barrier stretching more than 23 kilometers (14 miles) across Gaza, with a rapid expansion in recent months.
