Tel Aviv (Israel), April 16 (HBTV): Israel confirmed on Tuesday the death of Hamas commander Muhammad al-'Ajlah, who was killed in an airstrike in the northern Gaza area of Shejaiya on Sunday. Al-'Ajlah is the fifth commander of the group’s Shejaiya battalion to be killed since the October 7 attacks.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), al-'Ajlah had assumed command of the Shejaiya battalion less than a week ago, succeeding Haitham Sheikh Khalil, who was killed by Israeli forces on April 9.

‘Throughout the war, the terrorist al-'Ajlah served as the commander of a combat support company in the Shejaiya battalion. He was responsible for arming the battalion’s terrorists with weapons used to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,’ the IDF stated.

The military added: ‘Al-'Ajlah was the fifth commander of Hamas' Shejaiya battalion to be eliminated since the beginning of the war, and the third since the start of the renewed operations in Gaza.’

The IDF was referring to Jamil al-Wadidya, who was killed on March 18 after the collapse of a temporary ceasefire. Two other Shejaiya battalion commanders, Imad Qreiqa and Wissam Farhat, were killed in separate strikes in December 2023.

At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage during Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.

(ANI/TPS)