JERUSALEM, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency announced on Friday that they killed Nidal Al-Najar, the head of Hamas' Aerial and Aerial Defense Units, in Gaza City.
Al-Najar was identified as one of the organizers of the aerial infiltration into Israeli territory on Oct. 7 last year, according to a joint statement.
The statement described Al-Najar as a key figure in attacks on Israel and IDF forces, including drone operations targeting troops in central Gaza.
Separately, the IDF disclosed on Friday that its forces discovered and dismantled a booby-trapped tunnel shaft during operations in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. The tunnel, designed to target Israeli forces, was found alongside extensive combat infrastructure.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.
The relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza have caused an immense humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave. The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 44,000, according to Gaza-based health authorities. ■
