JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Hamas announced Wednesday that Farah Hamed, a senior commander in its military wing, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.

Hamas described Hamed as a “commander and fighter” in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and a member of the Military Council of the al-Qassam Brigades. Palestinian media said he was targeted earlier Wednesday in the Sheikh Ijlin (Sheikh Ajleen) neighborhood in southwestern Gaza City and later died of his wounds. The  IDF had not issued a statement on the strike by Wednesday evening.

Hamed, 43, was originally from the Ramallah area and belonged to the Silwad cell, which Israeli officials and Israeli media have tied to a series of deadly shooting attacks in Judea and Samaria during the Second Intifada. Those attacks included the 2003 killing of Shalom “Shuli” Har-Melech, the husband of MK Limor Son Har-Melech, among other Israeli civilians and soldiers. Limor Har-Melech was injured in the same attack and gave birth that night to her daughter.

Hamed was captured in 2003 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but he was released from Israeli prison and deported to Gaza as part of the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange. Israeli reports said he resumed activity with Hamas after the swap and survived previous targeting attempts. The head of the same cell, who was also freed in the Shalit deal, was killed in a strike in Rafah in May 2024.

Palestinian official media said Israeli forces later entered Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, and approached a condolence tent set up for Hamed. The IDF did not immediately comment on that report.

The announcement comes amid continued Israeli operations against Hamas commanders in Gaza. Israel has said it is targeting terrorists it accuses of directing attacks and trying to rebuild the group’s military capabilities. Hamas has not released further details on Hamed’s recent role.