Ayman Nofal, commander of Hamas’s Central Gaza Brigade, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on October 17, 2023 (Social media)
Ayman Nofal led Central Gaza Brigade, was one of terror group’s ‘most dominant senior officials’; Gallant says Hamas members have two options: surrender or die.
An Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip Tuesday afternoon killed the head of Hamas’s Central Gaza Brigade, a senior commander in the terror organization, the military and Hamas said, as Israel’s defense minister warned members of the terror group needed to choose between surrender and death, and rockets from the Strip continued to target Israeli communities.
At the same time, rockets from the Strip continued to target southern and central Israel, causing some damage and injuries.
Also Tuesday, reports from Gaza indicated that 14 people had been killed in a strike on a home belonging to the family of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, including his brother and nephew. Haniyeh himself lives in Qatar.
The slain Hamas commander, Ayman Nofal, was also a member of the organization’s General Military Council. He was killed in a strike in the Bureij refugee camp. The IDF said the airstrike was carried out following intelligence efforts by the Shin Bet security agency and Military Intelligence Directorate.
According to the IDF, Nofal, as part of his role, carried out “numerous attacks against Israel and security forces.”
The IDF said Nofal was also previously involved in the production and development of weapons and had been involved in the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilat Shalit in 2006.
The military added that Nofal was “one of the most dominant senior officials in the organization, and was close to Muhammad Deif,” Hamas’s military leader.
