The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Monday the killing of Adil Mismah, the Hamas Nukhba commander who helped lead the October 7 terrorist attack in which militants crossed the border from Gaza and killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
IDF troops continue operating in Gaza:
šŗELIMINATED: Adil Mismah, the Nukhba Company Commander of Deir al-Balah who took part in Hamasā October 7 invasion and massacre and attack on other communities surrounding Gaza.
šŗIn Shejaiya, troops struck Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorā¦
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 1, 2024
According to the Jerusalem Post, āMismah, the Company Commander of Nukhba’s Deir al-Balah brigade, led Hamas terrorists into the ravaged Kibbutz Kissufim and directed Hamas gunmen to other devastated communities, such as the kibbutzim of Nirim and Be’eriā¦Mismah was heavily involved in fighting with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.ā
In its announcement that Mismah was killed, the IDF also updated other aspects of the Israel-Hamas War. They struck terror targets run by Hamas, located substantial amounts of weapons, destroyed a launch post, eliminated a terror cell accused of attacking the IDF, and eliminated a terrorist launching rockets in Khan Yunis.
The war in Gaza has been ongoing for almost three months, and according to the Washington Examiner, Israel is moving into a new phase of the war. The new phase involves more targeted operations against the Hamas terrorist group as opposed to the more general airstrikes over Gaza.
While the change signifies a new phase in the war, it does not signify a change in Israelās resolve to stamp out Hamas leadership from Gaza. In fact, this past weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war will last many more months.
Since October 7, almost 22,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli response. Israel has claimed that more than 8,000 of the slain Palestinians are terrorists while Hamas claims that more than 65% of those killed are women and children. Neither side has evidence to back up their claims.
The war is also causing a humanitarian crisis as the vast majority of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza have been displaced. Gazans cannot find food and cannot get out of the cold after being driven from their homes.
Israelās goal, since the October 7 attack, has been to destroy Hamas and take out the terror organizationās leadership in the area. Netanyahu is showing no signs of letting up on that goal even if he is shifting to a new phase of fighting.
