Israeli special forces carried out a daring raid early Monday monring in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza amid massive airstrikes in the Gaza Strip following the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots on Sunday evening, Arab media outlets reported. As the IDF bombarded the area with dozens of air strikes, machine gun fire from helicopter gunships and artillery, special forces entered the area disguised as displaced Gazan women pushing a “wagon” loaded with mattresses [and some operatives hiding inside a special compartment in the wagon]. The force entered an apartment in Khan Younis and, following a gun battle, eliminated Ahmed Sarhan, a senior commander in the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, Gaza’s third-largest terrorist organization. The original goal of the operation was to capture Sarhan alive in order to extract information from him, possibly about Israeli hostages being held nearby. However, that goal proved elusive due to the escalation of the gun battle at the scene. IDF forces detained his wife and children.   According to the Saudi Al Arabiya channel, the goal of the operation was to extract Israeli hostages being held in the area. Israel did not verify the report, but a senior Israeli official confirmed that a special operation was carried out in Khan Younis, and baruch Hashem, no IDF casualties were incurred. According to Gazan reports, another Hamas commander was killed in the operation along with Sarhan, and was identified as the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Southern Battalion, Mahdi Qawareh. The IDF spokesperson published a vague statement on Monday morning, stating: “The IDF is amid Operation Gideon’s Chariots and is operating throughout the Gaza Strip. Following the reports, there is no change in the situational assessment.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)