The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Internal Security Agency on Tuesday said Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion commander Muhammad al-‘Ajlah had been killed during an airstrike in northern Gaza on Sunday.
“Muhammad al-‘Ajlah served as the commander of a combat support company in the Shejaiya battalion throughout the war and was eliminated,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli forces said he was responsible for arming the battalion’s fighters with weapons to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
“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 said.
“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including issuing advanced warnings to civilians, precise munitions, and aerial surveillance,” the force said.
‘Accidental’ Bombing
The Israeli fighter jet dropped a bomb close to the Israeli community on the Gaza border on Tuesday, with the Israel Defense Forces describing it as a ‘technical malfunction’.
The bomb fell close to the Nir Yithzak kibbutz adjacent to southern Gaza, media reports said.
“A short while ago, a munition fell from an IDF fighter jet that was on its way to a mission in the Gaza Strip. The munition landed in an open area near Nir Yitzhak due to a technical malfunction,” the Israeli military said in a short statement as quoted by CNN.
The IDF did not clarify the type of bomb.
There are no injuries as a result of the bomb falling, the military told CNN, and the incident is now under review.
A spokesman for Nir Yitzhak told the American news channel that the bomb landed in the village’s farm area.
Nir Yitzhak was one of the areas that were attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli military commenced its offensive on Gaza on March 18, ending the two-month ceasefire.
(With inputs from IBNS)
