Israeli forces kill Hamas rocket-firing commander in Gaza

The Israeli army said Thursday that its bombing raids on the Gaza Strip killed a Hamas commander, as the exchange of fire has continued between the Palestinian Islamist group and Israeli forces since they went to war on October 7. 

"Based on intelligence, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fighter jets killed the commander of the rocket battalion in the northern part of Khan Younis, Hasan al-Abdullah," an Israeli army spokesman said. 

"IDF fighter jets continue to strike Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including military command centres and rocket launching sites," the spokesman added. 

Khan Younis is a town in the southern Gaza Strip that is home to several Palestinian refugee camps, and in recent hours Israeli naval forces attacked a Hamas surface-to-air missile launching post in the area. 

Israeli "fighter jets struck more than 250 Hamas targets" in the past day, including "operational command centres, tunnels and rocket launchers located in the heart of civilian areas", from which the army claimed the militia has fired.

Since the war began 20 days ago, Israeli forces have killed a dozen senior Hamas officials. 

On Wednesday, they shot down another commander of the northern battalion in Khan Younis, Taysir Mubasher, who was head of Hamas's naval command and held various positions in weapons manufacturing.

Israel declared war on Hamas on 7 October, following a massive attack by the Islamist group that left more than 1,400 people dead and 224 kidnapped. Israel's retaliatory bombardment of the Gaza Strip has left more than 7,000 Palestinians dead.