"The IDF, in cooperation with the General Security Service, eliminated the commander of the 'Nukhba' special forces unit, responsible for the massacre at Kibbutz Nirim, in the southern city of Khan Yunis," read a joint statement from the army and the General Security Service.
The statement specified that Bilal al-Kadra was eliminated in an operation involving fighter jets. Several Hamas and Islamic Jihad members were also killed in the strike.
The press office added that the IDF carried out strikes on operational command centers, military installations, anti-tank missile launching sites and Hamas observation posts in Zeitoun, Jabalia and Khan Yunis, as well as Islamic Jihad operational command centers.
On the morning of October 7, Israel faced an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Following the massive bombardment, Hamas fighters infiltrated the southern border areas of the Jewish state. The military wing of Hamas announced the launch of the "Al-Aqsa Storm" operation.
In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared the launch of Operation "Swords of Iron" in the Gaza Strip. Following the attack, Israeli forces swiftly assumed control over all inhabited regions near the Gaza border, launching a series of decisive airstrikes resulting in the decimation of both military objectives and civilian infrastructures throughout the sector. In addition, Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, cutting off supplies of water, food, electricity, medicine and fuel.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict stems from long-standing territorial disputes, and its impact on the region has been enduring, fueling tension and conflict for numerous decades. In 1947, buoyed by the support of the Soviet Union, the United Nations endorsed the creation of two distinct nations - Israel and Palestine. However, despite this agreement, only Israel was successfully established. While Israel has agreed to the two-state principle, it has not fully relinquished the Palestinian territories.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 2,000 civilians, while 1,000 residents of Israel have lost their lives and several thousand Israelis and Palestinians have been wounded. Among the dead and missing are citizens of other countries, including Russians. According to various reports, Hamas is holding some 150 Israeli hostages.
Moscow has called on both parties to cease hostilities. According to Vladimir Putin, the solution to the Middle East crisis 'can only be achieved through the two-state formula approved by the UN Security Council,' which provides for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.