The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes against terror targets in Gaza amid reports of possible hostages-for-terrorists agreement between Israel and Hamas.
One of the Israeli airstrikes was aimed at eliminating an unnamed senior Hamas terrorist. Israeli fighter jets “conducted a precise strike on a terrorist who served in a central position,” the IDF announced in a press release Tuesday.
The targeted terrorist was inside a Hamas operations base at the time of the strike. “The terrorist was operating inside a command and control center, which previously had served as a school in Daraj Tuffah, and was used by the terrorist to plan and execute attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the military said.
The Israeli Air Force “conducted precise strikes on several terror targets, including Hamas terrorist operatives, in Khan Yunis and Deir al Balah overnight,” the IDF disclosed. The Israeli military, backed by the country’s Shin Bet security agency, “struck more than 50 terrorist targets across the Gaza Strip, including terrorist cells, weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure, anti-tank fire positions, and Hamas military structures,” the statement added.
The Jerusalem Post reported the details of the IDF strikes:
Israel Air Force aircraft struck on Tuesday a terrorist operating in a command and control center that had previously served as a school in the Daraj Tuffah area in the Gaza Strip, the military said on Wednesday.The terrorist, serving in a focal position, used the center to carry out terrorist activities against IDF troops and the State of Israel.The strike was guided by intelligence information provided by the Intelligence Directorate, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the Southern Command.An additional aircraft struck several targets, including Hamas terrorists in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.The military added that in the joint IDF and Shin Bet operation, some 50 Hamas terror targets had been struck throughout Gaza, including terror squads, weapons storage facilities, and military structures.
The IDF airstrikes come as the Israeli government is close to finalizing a hostage deal with Hamas, media reports suggest. “Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages,” The Associated Press reported Tuesday. Neither Israel nor Hamas have so far publicly endorsed the agreement.
The deal, which could see the release of dozens of living Israeli hostages after more than 15 months of Hamas captivity, might come at a heavy price for Israel. Under the agreement hatched in Qatar, Israel is expected to release 50 Palestinian terrorists, including 30 serving life sentences, for every female soldier hostage.
“The three-phase agreement would begin with the gradual release of 33 hostages over a six-week period, including women, children, older adults and wounded civilians, in exchange for potentially hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel, ” The Times of Israel reported. “Among the 33 would be five female Israeli soldiers, each of whom would be released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 convicted security prisoners who are serving life sentences.”
The proposed deal could give Hamas a much-needed breather, allowing the terrorist group to regroup its jihadist fighters and rebuild its infrastructure. “The current deal’s outline is full of loopholes and won’t allow the IDF to resume fighting in the northern Gaza Strip after its completion; Israel is paying the price of a comprehensive deal, not a partial one,” the Israeli news website YNET ‘s military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua noted Tuesday.
Yehoshua asked “if the agreement allows residents to return to northern Gaza (and not just innocent civilians will seize the opportunity), how will Israel ensure it can resume fighting if Hamas decides to break the deal?”
An IDF airstrike reportedly eliminated terrorists responsible for last week’s deadly attack near the Israeli town of Kedumim.
“A rare Israeli airstrike in the West Bank left six Palestinians dead, according to reports, including terrorists who perpetrated the shooting attack in Funduk last week,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported Wednesday “This is the first such attack in a month and a half.”
Three Israeli civilians — two women in their 70s and a 40-year-old off-duty policeman — were murdered and several others injured when three Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists opened fire at passing vehicles. A massive manhunt was underway to catch the fugitive terrorists.
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