JERUSALEM (VINnews) – The Israel Defense Forces said Monday that it killed a Hamas operative who took part in the deadliest single attack on Israeli troops during the ground offensive in Gaza, along with at least six other militants in a strike the previous week.

Yousef Ibrahim Mahmoud Beshiti was among those killed in the strike last Monday in central Gaza, the military said. Beshiti belonged to a Hamas cell that attacked troops on Jan. 22, 2024, killing 21 soldiers in what remains the deadliest incident for the IDF since the start of its ground operation in the territory.

The strike targeted several armed Hamas members who approached the Yellow Line — a de facto operational boundary in the area — and were planning an imminent attack on IDF forces, the military said.

“The terrorists posed a real threat to IDF troops and were therefore targeted in precise strikes,” the IDF said in a statement.

In the January 2024 attack, Hamas operatives fired RPGs at troops, striking a tank and detonating mines rigged to demolish two buildings. The secondary explosions caused the structures to collapse on soldiers operating nearby.

The latest operation also killed a member of Hamas’ elite Nukhba Force, a cell commander and a Hamas police officer, among others, according to the IDF.

The military has continued targeted operations against Hamas infrastructure and operatives involved in past attacks, even as broader ceasefire efforts and regional dynamics evolve. Hamas has not commented on the specific identification of Beshiti.