A Hamas commander who led an attack last year that killed 21 Israeli troops in Gaza, the deadliest attack on IDF soldiers during the war, was eliminated in a drone strike over the weekend, the military and Shin Bet said Sunday, as dozens of Palestinians were reportedly killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave.

Troops of the 414th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit identified Khalil Abed al-Nasser Mohammad Hatib on Friday and called in the drone strike that killed him, the IDF said.

On January 22, 2024, a cell commanded by Hatib in Hamas’s Maghazi Battalion carried out an RPG attack against troops operating near the Israeli border, according to the military. The RPGs hit two buildings that had been rigged up for detonation and a tank guarding the forces, killing 21 reservists.

It was the highest number of Israeli troops killed in a single attack since October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in the Gaza Strip. Israel has lost 416 soldiers in the ensuing offensive, as well as two police officers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.

Last month, Israel announced it was launching a renewed offensive in a bid to seize 75 percent of the Strip.

According to the military, Israeli Air Force strikes over the past day hit........

© The Times of Israel