IDF says it took out more than 10 Hamas operatives in Gaza this week

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it eliminated more than 10 Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip over the past week. The military said the kills came in separate strikes and included Hamas military commanders, weapons manufacturers and militants who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

According to the IDF, every Hamas member killed in the strikes was preparing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, and was working to rebuild the group's fighting capabilities — what the military described as a "systematic violation of the ceasefire."

The strikes landed alongside other Israeli operations. Local media reported Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in the al-Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City on Friday, and another Palestinian was killed in a drone strike near Khan Younis late Thursday. Troops also raided the West Bank village of Marda, north of Salfit, searching homes and detaining several young men for field interrogations before releasing them.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire on Palestinian olive pickers in Abu Njeim, southeast of Bethlehem, without causing injuries, and Israeli forces then fired tear gas at residents. The IDF also said warning sirens near the Nahal Oz border area turned out to be "a false identification."

The Gaza strikes follow a November 12 IDF operation with Shin Bet on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which the military said targeted a senior Hamas officer and other operatives allegedly running military activity out of the hospital.

On the diplomatic side, US Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw wrapped up a visit to Israel on Friday, meeting Israeli Navy Commander Vice Admiral Eyal Harel. The IDF said the two discussed the Navy's actions across different arenas and strengthening the partnership to maintain regional stability.