Israel claims it killed Hamas field commander in southern Gaza

The Israeli army said on Friday that it killed a Palestinian man in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming he was a field commander in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian group Hamas.

Muhammad Mahmoud Marshad al-Qadi was killed in an attack in the Khan Younis area, the army said in a statement.

It claimed that al-Qadi took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on the Israeli military’s Sufa base near the Gaza Strip and later participated in holding Israeli captives in the Rafah area.

Hamas has not yet commented on the Israeli statement.

Since October 2023, Israel’s deadly offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and wounded over 174,000 others, while around 90% of the Palestinian enclave’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed.