IDF announces elimination of West Bank Hamas commander in Gaza airstrike amid ongoing IDF operations in the Strip

Military says commander was killed on July 26, but death was only confirmed later

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Israel Defense Forces on Thursday morning it had eliminated a senior Hamas commander responsible for overseeing the terror group's operations in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

The IDF announced that senior Hamas leader Nael Sakhel was killed on July 24th during a joint military operation conducted by the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) in the Gaza Strip.

It was only several days after the airstrike, the IDF said it received intelligence indicating that Sakhel had been killed.

For over a decade, Sakhel operated in the West Bank headquarters of Hamas, which is responsible for planning terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers in Judea and Samaria.

Sakhel was first detained by Israel in 2003 and sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in a suicide bombing in Israel. Like Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, Sakhel was released during the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011, when Israel exchanged 1,027 Palestinian security prisoners for the captured IDF soldier.

The IDF also announced that troops continue their “precise, intelligence-based operations in the Rafah area.”

Over the past day, soldiers from the 162nd Division raided military sites in Rafah, reportedly eliminating several terrorists during close-quarters encounters, and dismantling Hamas infrastructure in the area, including a booby-trapped structure in the area of Tel al-Sultan.

ביממה האחרונה צוותי הקרב של חטיבות גבעתי והנח״ל בפיקוד אוגדה 162, פשטו על אתרים צבאיים במרחב רפיח. כוחות הנח״ל חיסלו מחבלים בהיתקלויות מטווח קרוב והשמידו תשתיות טרור במרחב, ביניהם מבנה ממולכד באזור תל סולטאן >> pic.twitter.com/6addtHkYD4
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 8, 2024

Combat teams from the Jerusalem and Harel Brigades, as well as the 454th Fire Brigade, continue to operate central Gaza under the command of the 252nd Division. The Jerusalem Brigade team directed an aircraft to target and destroy an observation post used by terrorists in the area.

לוחמי צוות הקרב של חטיבות ירושלים (16), הראל (10), וחטיבת האש 454 ממשיכים לפעול במרכז הרצועה, תחת פיקודה של אוגדה 252.
באחת הפעילויות לוחמי צוות הקרב של חטיבת ירושלים (16) הכווינו כלי טיס שתקף והשמיד עמדת תצפית, ממנה פעלו מחבלים במרחב >> pic.twitter.com/zMTsE41bNN
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 8, 2024

In the past day, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has struck dozens of terror targets throughout Gaza, including a military structure from which terrorists were firing at IDF troops. Additionally, the IAF targeted Hamas military infrastructure sites, armed terrorists, and a launch post in northern Gaza from which projectiles were launched toward southern Israel a few days ago.

The IDF denied any involvement in the death of a Palestinian World Central Kitchen (WCK) worker. On Wednesday evening, WCK announced that Nadi Sallout was killed in the Deir al-Balah area, apparently while off-duty, but did not indicate how he died

On Thursday afternoon, social media reports suggested that the IAF struck a site in Khan Younis in Gaza. The IDF estimates that many Hamas terrorists fled to Khan Younis after the military began operations in Rafah, which borders Egypt. The IDF previously conducted operations in Khan Younis, but withdrew ahead of the incursion into Rafah.

The Gaza Health Ministry claims the death toll in Gaza has reached 39,699 since the start of the war on Oct. 7. However, the Gaza Health Ministry is run by the Hamas terrorist organization and does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties. Additionally, these numbers have repeatedly been criticized as unverifiable or inaccurate.