The head of Hamas' Aerial Unit was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, Israeli military and security agency said.
In a joint statement, Israel's military and Shin Bet domestic security agency announced the killing of Samer Abu Daqqa, the head of Hamas' aerial operations, in an attack by warplanes in September, Xinhua news agency reported.
After he had absorbed the position of former Hamas aerial array chief Asem Abu Rakaba, who was assassinated by Israel last October, the statement claimed, Abu Daqqa participated in several drone attacks and was a key player in Hamas' aerial works.
Israeli security officials said Abu Daqqa was also an important organizer of Hamas' paraglider and drone infiltrations into southern Israel during its surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 dead and sparked the current Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza.
The Israeli attacks on Gaza have claimed the lives of 42,289 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities said in a statement on Monday.
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