The Israeli military said it struck and killed a Hamas commander in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the first Israeli airstrike in the territory in more than a week, breaking a lull that had taken hold as the US-backed Board of Peace presses its plan for the disarmament of the war-torn enclave and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

The Hamas-affiliated civil defense agency said that one person was killed, while several who were injured in the strike in the Beit Lahiya area were taken to a Gaza City hospital.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed carrying out the strike, saying it targeted a Hamas commander who was planning an attack on troops.

The operative was planning attacks on forces in northern Gaza, and he was targeted in an airstrike “to remove the threat to the forces,” the IDF said, publishing footage of the strike. It did not identify the target of the strike by name.

The incident took place a day after the military said it targeted a terror operative who posed an “immediate threat” to troops.

The IDF said that the Hamas sniper was spotted by troops of the 99th Division near the so-called “Yellow Line” that divides the Strip between Israeli and Hamas control.

“Immediately after the identification, the troops fired toward [the operative] to remove the threat,” the IDF said, adding that a “hit was identified.”

צה"ל תקף ראש חוליה מארגון הטרור חמאס בצפון רצועת עזה שתכנן לבצע מתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל* Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#Article_Incontent1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; tude.cmd.push(function() { if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("rgbmedia-app") > -1){ tude.setDeviceType("mobile"); } tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { divId: 'Article_Incontent1', baseDivId: 'Article_Incontent1', } ]); }); } צה"ל תקף לפני זמן קצר ראש חוליה מארגון הטרור חמאס בצפון רצועת עזה. המחבל תכנן להוציא לפועל מתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל הפועלים ברצועת עזה. המחבל הותקף מהאוויר לצורך הסרת האיום על הכוחות.… pic.twitter.com/GH8kSiiYuv — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 12, 2026

צה"ל תקף ראש חוליה מארגון הטרור חמאס בצפון רצועת עזה שתכנן לבצע מתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל*

צה"ל תקף לפני זמן קצר ראש חוליה מארגון הטרור חמאס בצפון רצועת........

© The Times of Israel