An airstrike killed a Hamas leader who commanded the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist assault that killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians, Israeli officials said Saturday, while thousands of residents raced to get out of an increasingly chaotic and dangerous Gaza Strip ahead of a possible full-scale ground incursion.
The Israel Defense Forces said its strike took out Ali Qadi, a top Hamas figure who led terrorist assaults last week against Israeli settlements near the country’s border with Gaza.
Last weekend’s Hamas attack was the single bloodiest day for Israel in decades. At least 27 Americans were also killed in the assault, while about 150 people are believed to be held hostage by Hamas militants, including some U.S. citizens. Thousands of Palestinians were reportedly fleeing the northern stretch of Gaza on Saturday ahead of a midnight deadline. Israel said it would allow civilians to flee south on two roads and would guarantee their safety along those routes.
“During the last day, the IDF forces carried out local raids in the territory of the Gaza Strip to complete the effort to cleanse the area of terrorists and weapons. In these operations, an effort was also made to locate missing people,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, said in a social media post.
Foreign officials warned again Saturday of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the inevitability that, unless something changes, scores of civilians could soon die.
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