The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it killed Hamas’ head of intelligence on Monday in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza.
According to the Times of Israel, the IDF did not provide additional details on the strike that killed the terrorist leader, including its exact location or the top Hamas member’s name.
The IDF shared multiple videos of strikes in the Gaza Strip, including the attack targeting the head of intelligence.
The strike comes just over one week after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 1,300 people – primarily civilians – and wounding thousands more. The terrorists also took elderly, women and children hostages, but it is unclear how many people were taken.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials have notified the families of nearly 200 people that their loved ones were taken hostage, the IDF said.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, and IDF spokesman, said the military is working to determine the hostages exact locations in Gaza.
“We are making valiant efforts to try to understand where the hostages are in Gaza, and we have such information,” Hagari said. “We will not carry out an attack that would endanger our people.”
Among the known hostages are infants, special needs children and elderly people with chronic illnesses.
As Israeli officials work to find the hostages, the United States military is preparing about 2,000 American troops to potentially deploy to support Israel, U.S. defense officials said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The selected troops are currently stationed in the Middle East and other locations, including Europe, officials said, adding the troops are not expected to serve in combat roles. Instead, they will provide advising and medical support.
It is unclear what could trigger the deployment.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
