Photo: IDF Press Service
Gaza Strip, 23 March 2025 – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), together with the General Security Service (Shabak), have conducted a major operation in the Gaza Strip over the past few days. The strikes, carried out with the help of combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, targeted hundreds of terrorist infrastructure and militants throughout the enclave.
The attacks killed Ahmed Salman al-Shmaali, deputy commander of the Gaza Brigade of the Hamas terrorist organisation. He played a key role in the development of the offensive against Israel and the formation of the brigade’s forces before the massacre on 7 October 2023. During the war, al-Shmaali coordinated the deployment of terrorist forces and militant attacks on IDF units operating in the region.
In addition, Jamil Omar Jamil Uadiyah, the commander of the Shajaya battalion, was killed. Wadiya led the unit for most of the war after his predecessor, Wassam Farhat, was killed in December 2023. According to the IDF, Wadiya was responsible for attacks on the Israeli military, as well as working to rebuild and reorganise the battalion. It is also noted that he was involved in the attack on a school bus with an anti-tank missile in April 2011, which killed Dan Wiflich.
The operation was part of Israel’s efforts to neutralise terrorist threats emanating from the Gaza Strip. Strikes against key Hamas figures could significantly weaken the organisation’s operational capabilities in the region, but also exacerbate the already tense situation in the Middle East.
