Hamas Eliminated: Israeli Strike Kills Senior Internal Security Chief in Central Gaza

An Israeli airstrike eliminated the head of Hamas's Internal Security service in central Gaza on Sunday, striking his vehicle as he traveled through Deir al-Balah alongside another senior operative. Gaza's Hamas-run Interior Ministry identified the men killed as Colonel Wael Mousa al-Lidawi, 44, who led the internal security directorate in central Gaza, and Major Ramez Tawfiq Abu Zureiq, 49. Footage circulated after the strike showed the charred remains of the vehicle sitting in the middle of the road, with thick smoke still rising from the wreckage as bystanders gathered at the scene.

The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out a strike targeting a Hamas militant but did not publicly identify Al-Lidawi or provide further operational details on the operation. The strike is the latest in a steady stream of targeted eliminations against senior figures within Hamas's police and internal security apparatus, with Israel accusing many of these officials of doubling as members of Hamas's military wing who pose an active threat to Israeli forces operating inside Gaza. Just a day earlier, Israeli forces killed the head of Hamas's police force in northern Gaza, underscoring the sustained pace of these targeted operations even as a ceasefire agreement remains formally in place.

Hamas has condemned the strikes as a deliberate campaign to dismantle what remains of governance in Gaza, accusing Israel of methodically dismantling the territory's internal institutions and sowing chaos among the civilian population. Israeli officials counter that these operations are a necessary continuation of the broader campaign to eliminate operatives tied to Hamas's military infrastructure, regardless of their formal titles within the group's governing apparatus. With near-daily strikes continuing despite the ceasefire framework brokered by the United States last October, the removal of another senior Hamas security official adds to what has become one of the most sustained rounds of targeted killings since the truce took effect.