Tel Aviv, March 21, 2025 – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) confirmed on Thursday the elimination of three senior operatives from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Rashid Jahjouh, head of Hamas’s General Security Apparatus, was killed alongside Ayman Atsila, who led Hamas’s security operations in Khan Yunis. Their department played a crucial role in safeguarding Hamas leadership, eliminating suspected collaborators, and gathering intelligence for terrorist activities against Israel. Jahjouh was also responsible for Hamas propaganda efforts.
In a separate operation, Israeli forces killed Ismail Abd al-Aal, a key figure in Islamic Jihad’s weapons smuggling network. He was instrumental in moving military equipment into Gaza through a covert supply chain.
Israel has intensified its strikes since Tuesday, targeting senior Hamas officials, including Essam al-Dalis, head of Hamas’s Gaza government, and Yasser Muhammad Harb Musa, who handled Hamas’s security portfolio. The renewed operations follow Hamas’s rocket attacks on central Israel earlier in the day, marking the first such barrage in months.
Israeli ground forces also launched a raid near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, their first in the area in two months. The IDF has warned Gaza residents to avoid the Netzarim Corridor as ground operations expand.
The escalation follows the collapse of a two-month ceasefire. Hamas insisted on Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent halt to the war in exchange for hostages, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue operations until Hamas is dismantled. Mediation efforts, including a U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire in exchange for hostages, failed to yield results.
The conflict stems from Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israeli border communities, which left at least 1,180 dead and 252 taken hostage. Of the 59 hostages still held, 36 are believed to be dead.
Israel Eliminates Senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad Figures Amid Renewed Conflict in Gaza
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