The Israel Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on more than 300 targets associated with Hamas within the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, resulting in the death of a significant Hamas commander and multiple terrorists. The targets included underground sites used for launching anti-tank missiles and rockets, as well as military compounds.
Nasim Abu Ajina, the commander of Hamas’s Northern Brigade’s Beit Lahia Battalion, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Abu Ajina directed the October 7th attack on Israeli civilians in Kibbutz Erez and Netiv Ha’asara. He formerly led the Hamas Aerial Array and was involved in the development of the group’s drones and paragliders.
The IDF released a statement saying, “His elimination significantly harms the efforts of the Hamas terrorist organization to disrupt the IDF’s ground activities.”
The Israeli ground forces also actively engaged and successfully neutralized terrorist cells. Additionally, they provided real-time guidance for airstrikes targeting Hamas forces and infrastructure.
Israeli forces and Shin Bet killed Hamas battalion commander, Nasim Abu Ajina, in an airstrike Monday, IDF says. He directed attacks on Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara on Oct. 7. Also responsible for developing drone and paraglider operations for Hamas. pic.twitter.com/NImIwLVE90
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) October 31, 2023
Despite the IDF’s ground operation in Gaza, rocket attacks from the Strip persisted. These attacks triggered sirens in Israeli border communities repeatedly throughout Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday, the military unveiled an audio recording featuring Major General Yaron Finkelman, the leader of the IDF Southern Command, delivering a message to the troops conducting operations in Gaza. In his address, he emphasized that the only acceptable outcome was victory.
He said, “We are launching an attack on Hamas and the terror groups in the Gaza Strip. Our goal is one: victory. No matter how long the fighting takes, how difficult, there is no other result but victory.”
Finkelman continued, “We will fight professionally and powerfully in light of the IDF values we were raised on. Chief among them is sticking to the mission and striving for victory. We will fight in the alleys, we will fight in the tunnels, we will fight where necessary. We will strike the terrible enemy that stands before us.”
“My brothers in arms, the residents of Be’eri, Sderot, Nir Oz, Kfar Aza and the western Negev communities, and with them the entire nation of Israel, are all looking at us now. Like me, they also trust you and believe in you. You are the generation of victory,” said Finkelman. “Get to your tasks, hit the enemy. Out.”
