The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said a top Hamas commander, who was involved in last week's attacks, was killed when fighter jets struck an operational headquarters used by the group over the past day, media reports said.

The deceased commander was identified as Hamas Aerial System head Merad Abu Merad.

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“During the strike IDF fighter jets killed Merad Abu Merad, who was the head of the Hamas Aerial System in Gaza City and was largely responsible for directing terrorists during the massacre on Saturday,” the IDF was quoted as saying by CNN.

The IDF told the American news channel that its fighter jets also conducted wide-scale strikes throughout the Gaza Strip on Friday against dozens of Hamas targets and “Nukhba” operatives, who were one of the leading forces that breached the border perimeter and led the infiltration into Israel last Saturday.

In his X post, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee said Murad Abu Murad played a major role in the attack on Israel last Saturday, which killed more than 1,300 people.

Since this round of attacks between Hamas and Israel began on Saturday (October 7, 2023), Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.

So far, more than 1,500 Palestinians and more than 1,300 Israelis have been killed, Xinhua reported.