GAZA CITY (VINnews) – Israeli Air Force and Navy forces carried out overnight strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing several senior Hamas officials including the deputy head of the terror group’s general security mechanism, the Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday.

Hassan Labad, deputy head of Hamas’s general security mechanism, was killed along with senior officials Asem Shabir, Abdullah Abu Kaloub and Mohammed Abu Marek, the IDF said.

The military described the targeted officials as key figures who had recently been involved in efforts to rebuild Hamas’s terror infrastructure and assist the group’s senior leadership in planning attacks against Israel and IDF troops.

“The senior officials of the general security mechanism were eliminated to remove a threat,” the IDF said in a statement.

According to the military, Hamas’s general security mechanism is a clandestine unit responsible for protecting top Hamas officials, managing secure communications between them, coordinating meetings and transporting leaders between emergency locations. The body also produces intelligence assessments that aid Hamas leadership in decision-making and executing terror operations against Israel.