Gaza strikes and drone interception
The IDF reported eliminating four Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in aerial strikes across northern, southern and central Gaza on Saturday and Sunday.
Sunday’s strikes eliminated Islamic Jihad military-wing operatives Alaa Abu Zaid and Hamdan Suleiman Ibrahim Abu Amra, and Hamas sniper Fawzi Salam Odat Allah Sawarha, accused of advancing sniper attacks against troops. Saturday’s northern Gaza strike eliminated Muhammad Anan Muhammad al-Rawaj, identified as a Hamas Nukhba cell commander.
The IDF and Shin Bet separately reported that airstrikes eliminated Hamas military-intelligence commander Mohammed Halawa in Gaza City on Saturday and military-wing engineering commander Ahmed Zahir Fuad Abu-Odeh on Thursday.
Both announcements accused those targeted of advancing attacks on troops and civilians throughout the war, particularly recently, and restoring military capabilities in systematic violation of the ceasefire. The strikes were described as removing the threats they posed.
On Sunday, the IDF said troops identified three terror operatives emerging from a Khan Younis tunnel shaft west of the Yellow Line, on the Hamas-controlled side. An aircraft shortly afterward struck the shaft and operatives. It reported hits and said secondary explosions indicated weapons inside.
Eliminations were not confirmed, and overlap with the other Sunday strikes was not established. In another incident that day, the IDF said it destroyed a northern Gaza military structure used as a sniper position against troops.
Troops downed a Gaza-bound drone over Israeli territory near Kibbutz Nahal Oz overnight; its payload remained under examination. It appeared to be a DJI Flycart or similar model capable of carrying dozens of kilograms.
The IDF says suspects in Israel use drones to carry weapons or drugs into Gaza, although the number of attempts is unknown. The reporting also noted frequent drone-smuggling attempts into Israel across the Egyptian and Jordanian borders.
Hebron and Qabatiya operations
An IDF operation in Hebron on Sunday uncovered an excavation near the home of one of Friday’s shooting attackers. Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem fell in that attack, and other soldiers were lightly injured. Accounts differ on whether it occurred at Judea Junction or in Hebron.
The excavation was approximately 15 meters deep and 75 centimeters wide, with an initial assessment indicating no apparent exit. An electronic device recovered inside was transferred for examination; the findings remain under investigation.
The military said it was deep within Hebron, away from Israeli communities, and posed no threat to them.
The continuing operation in the two gunmen’s neighborhood included searches of more than 500 buildings, structures and other sites, approximately 50 detentions for questioning and two guns seized. Forces were also seizing illegal vehicles. The raid displaced more than 2,000 Palestinian residents.
In Qabatiya, the IDF said the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit arrested five terrorists last week in the Menashe Brigade sector: three Hamas-affiliated and two Islamic Jihad-affiliated.
In a separate Binyamin Brigade operation, the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion raided more than 50 targets, searched for weapons and questioned Hamas-affiliated suspects. The military described both operations as part of the Judea and Samaria Division’s continuing defensive and offensive counterterrorism activity.
First families in Shalem
The first families moved into Shalem near Elon Moreh about a day before the elections. It is the ninth community established under the Samaria Regional Council’s Connecting Plan.
