The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) have announced the elimination of the commander of Hamas’s Eastern Rafah Battalion, his deputy, and two other senior operatives who attempted to flee an underground terror complex in eastern Rafah earlier this week.

The strike, carried out on Sunday, was described as a significant blow to Hamas’s southern command structure amid ongoing post-ceasefire operations.

According to the IDF, the men were killed as they emerged from a tunnel shaft in Rafah’s underground network, following precise intelligence gathered through ISA interrogations and surveillance.

Among those eliminated was Muhammad Jawad Muhammad al-Bawab, the battalion commander who directed Hamas infiltrations into southern Negev communities during the October 7, 2023 attack and orchestrated subsequent assaults on Israeli forces. His deputy, Ismail Kanaan Abd al-Hay Abu Labdeh, was also killed, alongside Abdullah Azi Ahmed Hamad, a security aide and son of senior Hamas political bureau member Ghazi Hamad, and Tawfiq Khaled Tawfiq Salem, who led a regional platoon within the battalion.

The IDF emphasized that the operation was part of sustained efforts in Rafah, where more than 40 Hamas operatives have been neutralized since the November 2025 ceasefire took effect. Troops continue to secure the area, dismantling above- and below-ground infrastructure to prevent Hamas from rearming or regrouping.

The announcement comes during a fragile truce brokered in late November, which includes phased hostage releases, aid corridors, and Israeli withdrawals from northern Gaza. Hamas has not publicly commented on the losses, though sources within the group acknowledged that the strike disrupted command lines in Rafah, a key smuggling hub near the Egyptian border. Palestinian health officials reported no civilian casualties from the incident, though the area remains tense with restricted access.

Israeli officials hailed the precision strike as evidence of robust intelligence capabilities during the ceasefire, with Southern Command troops maintaining deployments to counter what they described as “immediate threats.”

Critics, including UN observers, expressed concern that tunnel operations may violate truce terms, while Hamas allies such as the Houthis condemned the raid as an escalation.