TheIDFSpokesperson's Unit on Friday reported the military eliminated Osama Tabash, the head ofHamas' Military Intelligence in southern Gaza, in an intelligence-based strike on Thursday.
According to the announcement, Tabash also led Hamas' Surveillance and Targeting Unit, which is responsible for gathering visual intelligence and generating targets for Hamas in both Israeli territory and the Gaza Strip.
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(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"Tabash was a senior Hamas terrorist and was a significant source of operational knowledge for the terrorist organization," the IDF said in a statement, adding that he had held various key positions, including battalion commander inHamas' Khan Younis Brigade.
Over the years, he was involved in terrorist activities and attacks, including a 2005 suicide bombing at the Gush Katif junction that killed ISA coordinator Oded Sharon.
The IDF added Tabash played a central role in formulating Hamas' combat strategy on the ground, coordinating intelligence efforts in southern Gaza and leading military operations in the area. Over the past year, he was involved in rebuilding Hamas' military capabilities after sustaining losses during the war.
The military further said that Tabash was directly responsible for planning and coordinating targets and infiltration objectives duringHamas' October 7 massacrein Israeli communities near the border.
"Throughout the war, he also led Hamas' Surveillance Unit, which gathered intelligence and monitored IDF operations, directed attacks at IDF troops, and played a key role in shaping Hamas' perception of the IDF and its activities," the announcement read.
The IDF stressed that his elimination significantly weakened Hamas' intelligence-gathering abilities and its efforts to target Israeli forces in Gaza.