(July 5, 2026 \/ JNS)\n <\/p>\n
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it had killed two Hamas terrorist commanders in separate airstrikes in the Gaza Strip last week.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Najib Ashour, a Nukhba Force platoon commander in Hamas\u2019s \u201cmilitary wing,\u201d and Tamer Saeed Abu Nakhal, a cell commander, were involved in advancing attacks on IDF soldiers, the military said.<\/p>\n
The terrorists \u201cposed a threat to the troops and were subsequently eliminated in precise strikes,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
The statement noted that steps were taken to limit harm to noncombatants, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.<\/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>, rejected key parts of Trump\u2019s plan in recent months, including disarmament, despite having agreed to the proposal in October.<\/p>\n