Israel appears to have resumed its targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders after a two week lull.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out two “attacks of choice” in two days, the first since the new US-brokered Gaza deal took effect in late July, according to Israeli military sources.
In both cases the IDF indicated the target was about to launch an attack in the near future.
On Wednesday, the IDF hit an unnamed terror cell commander in northern Gaza. He was not close to the border and presented no immediate threat. The military said he was killed because he was planning to order or carry out future terror attacks, rather than because he was actively engaging Israeli forces at the time.
The operation required explicit approval from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir under new rules that had temporarily suspended such targeted killings at the political leadership’s request.
Military sources said such an operation would previously have been considered routine, but had been halted amid US pressure and ongoing negotiations.
On Thursday, the IAF struck and killed a mid-ranking Hamas operative in Khan Yunis, who was reportedly in the process of planning and carrying out an operation against the IDF. It did not name him.
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