(July 2, 2026 \/ JNS)\n <\/p>\n
The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday that it had eliminated a Hamas terrorist responsible for carrying out sniper attacks and planting explosive devices targeting Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
Adel Jihad Mohammad Asfour, a Hamas platoon commander, was involved in planning imminent attacks on soldiers while helping rebuild the terror group\u2019s capabilities after more than two years of war, the military said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe terrorist posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip and was eliminated in an aerial strike,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Prior to the strike, several steps were taken to mitigate harm to noncombatants, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance, according the the army.<\/p>\n
Soldiers remain deployed in the enclave in accordance with the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement \u201cand will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,\u201d it declared.<\/p>\n
The current ceasefire went into effect in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 10, 2025, ending the two-year war that began when Hamas, other Palestinian terrorist groups and Gazan \u201ccivilians\u201d invaded the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n
Under the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s 20-point peace plan, Hamas is to cede power and Gaza is to be deradicalized and disarmed<\/a>, with the deployment of an International Stabilization Force to parts of the Strip currently held by the Israeli military.<\/p>\n Top Hamas leaders, including Khaled Mashaal<\/a> and Musa Abu Marzouk<\/a>, have rejected key parts of Trump\u2019s plan in recent months, including disarmament, despite having agreed to the proposal in October.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> said on Tuesday that the Gaza Strip no longer poses a military threat to the Jewish state, while acknowledging that Hamas\u2019s civilian rule has yet to be dismantled.<\/p>\n