The Israeli army announced today, Thursday, that it successfully assassinated a field leader of the "Hamas" movement in an airstrike in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza Strip. The army stated in a press release: "An Air Force aircraft attacked and eliminated, based on intelligence, Ahmed Hassan Salmi Al-Sawarka from Hamas in the Beit Hanoun area." The army noted that Al-Sawarka held the position of "cell leader in Hamas's elite force" and participated in the attack on neighboring settlements on October 7.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported, "We eliminated one of the leaders of the Hamas sniper unit in Beit Hanoun and a leader of the elite unit who took part in the massacre of October 7. An Air Force aircraft targeted the terrorist known as Ahmed Hassan Salmi Al-Sawarka from Hamas, who served as cell leader..."
The army further stated that Al-Sawarka "led and directed sniper operations in the Beit Hanoun area." They added, "After continuous monitoring, Al-Sawarka was spotted in the Beit Hanoun area to target him."
Additionally, the Israeli army indicated that "the 99th Division forces continue to operate in the center of the sector, where a warplane recently destroyed a mortar launch site that was used to target our forces." "The unit of the 99th Division also fired a 'hard sting' projectile toward two militants who posed a threat to the forces," although the army did not specify the location where the militants were targeted.
On another note, the army stated: "The 162nd Division forces continue their operations in the Rafah area (southern Gaza Strip)."
