Top Hamas terror leader killed in ‘precise strike’ by Israel: IDF

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it has killed a top Hamas leader responsible for arming terrorists with weapons used to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops. 

Muhammad al-‘Ajlah, the commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya battalion, was taken out in a “precise strike” on Sunday, the IDF said Tuesday.

The Shejaiya battalion is a military unit within Hamas’s armed wing that operates primarily in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, which has historically been a stronghold for Hamas and a focal point of intense fighting during Israeli military operations.

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Al-‘Ajlah is the fifth commander of the Shejaiya battalion to be eliminated since the beginning of the war and the third since the start of the renewed operations in Gaza, the IDF said. 

“Muhammad al-‘Ajlah served as the commander of a combat support company in the Shejaiya battalion throughout the war and was eliminated in a precise strike on Sunday night,” the IDF said in a statement Tuesday.

“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including issuing advanced warnings to civilians, precise munitions, and aerial surveillance.”

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The Shejaiya battalion has been known to use urban guerrilla warfare, tunnels, IEDs and rocket launches as part of its operations, according to the IDF and reports.  

In October, Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar was killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, with chilling video capturing his final moments. 

Hamas’ top military commander, Mohammad Deif, was killed during a strike in July 2024. Deif initiated, planned and executed the October 7th terror attacks along with Sinwar, according to the IDF.

The killing of al-‘Ajlah on Sunday comes amid a resumption of the war on March 18 following a two-month ceasefire. 

The latest round of talks on Monday in Cairo to restore the ceasefire and free Israeli hostages ended with no apparent breakthrough, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said.

Hamas insists Israel commit to ending the war and pull out its forces from the Gaza Strip as agreed in the three-phase ceasefire accord that went into effect in late January.

Israel has said it will not end the war unless Hamas is eliminated and returns the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Israel says that there are still 59 hostages in captivity, of whom Israel believes 35 are dead. Thirty-three hostages were released during the latest ceasefire; 251 were initially captured during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. 

Reuters contributed to this report.