Israel says it killed two senior Islamic Jihad members in Gaza strike

The Israeli military announced on July 11 that it had carried out a targeted operation in Gaza, killing two senior members of the Islamic Jihad group.

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said the strike on June 7 eliminated Fadl Abu al-Ata, the commander of the Shejaiya sector of Islamic Jihad, Caliber.Az reports.

The statement noted that Abu al-Ata had reportedly played a central role in coordinating operations between armed groups in the area and was involved in planning attacks against Israeli forces. The IDF also alleges that he participated in the October 7, 2023, cross-border assault that sparked the ongoing war.

The second individual killed was Hamed Kamel Abd al-Aziz Iyad, whom Israeli officials identified as the chief engineer for the Turukman Battalion, a unit within Islamic Jihad. According to the IDF, he was responsible for designing and carrying out explosive attacks targeting Israeli troops.

By Sabina Mammadli