IDF Eliminates Hamas Internal Security Chief Hiding in Humanitarian Zone

A ball of fire and smoke rises during Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on January 2, 2022. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90 (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

‘The terrorist was responsible for creating an intelligence picture against the activities of our forces in the Gaza Strip,’ the army said.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

An airstrike killed the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Thursday.

Hussam Shawan was responsible for the terror group’s internal security in southern Gaza. According to the IDF, Hamas’s internal security carried out violent interrogations against residents of the Gaza Strip, while severely violating human rights and suppressing the organization’s opponents.

“The terrorist Shawan was responsible for creating an intelligence picture, together with other bodies of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization, against the activities of our forces in the Gaza Strip,” the army said.

Shawan was killed while hiding in the Khan Yunis humanitarian zone. The IDF said it used aerial surveillance, precise munitions and other measures to mitigate harm to civilians.

“The terrorist organization Hamas systematically violates international law, cruelly exploiting civilian shelters, civilian structures, and the civilian population as human shields for terrorist acts,” the IDF said.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.