The Israeli Air Force eliminated three senior Hamas commanders in a targeted strike overnight Tuesday based on Shin Bet intelligence. The terrorists were operating from a terror command center embedded in  the humanitarian zone in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The IDF noted that “these terrorists were directly involved in the massacre on October 7 and have been advancing terror plots against IDF forces and the State of Israel in recent months.” The terrorists were identified as Osama Tabash, the head of the surveillance department in Hamas’ military intelligence division, Samer Ismail, the commander of Hamas’ aerial forces, and Ayman Mabhuh, another senior Hamas official. The IDF stated that “prior to the strike, extensive intelligence gathering was conducted along with continuous aerial observation in the hours leading up to the attack, confirming their presence in the area alongside other terrorists.” In response to [unreliable] Hamas reports that 40 people were killed in the strike and 60 were injured, the IDF dismissed these claims, stating: “In general and based on an initial investigation, the numbers released by the Gaza Strip’s Hamas propaganda office, which has been caught lying multiple times, do not accord with  the information available to the IDF, the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strikes.” “Despite the many measures the IDF implements to allow Gazan residents to distance themselves from combat zones, including designating a humanitarian area, Hamas continues to embed its operatives and military infrastructure in the humanitarian area and systematically uses civilians as human shields.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)