Men stand on a damaged rooftop overlooking an Iftar break-fast gathering in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on March 15, 2025. Photo by Saeed Jaras/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images.
The Israeli Air Force carried out a strike in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on Saturday, targeting a terrorist cell that included operatives disguising themselves as journalists, according to the military.
The strike killed several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, including individuals involved in attacks on Israeli forces.
Among those slain was Bilal Mahmoud Fouad Abu Matar, a Hamas terrorist posing as a photographer, and Mahmoud Imad Hassan Aslim from Hamas’s Zeitoun Battalion, who had been operating under the guise of a reporter. The IDF said these men were actively engaged in terrorist activities and were using their covers to evade detection.
The targeted cell was operating a drone intended to carry out attacks on Israeli troops. Intelligence reports confirmed that the drone was consistently used by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, including in its most recent operations.
Other terrorists killed in the strike included:
- Mostafa Mohammed Shaaban Hamad—a Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
- Mahmoud Yahya Rashdi al-Sarraj—a member of Hamas’s engineering unit.
- Suhaib Bassem Khaled Nagar—an Islamic Jihad terrorist who had been released as part of the latest hostage exchange deal.
- Mohammed Alaa Sobhi al-Jafeer—a Hamas operative.
The IDF reiterated its commitment to targeting terrorist threats and preventing attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Also on Saturday, the IDF attacked three terrorists trying to plant explosives near troops operating in the area of Netzarim in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
The IDF on Friday attacked several terrorists attempting to plant bombs close to soldiers in central Gaza. A day earlier, an Israeli Air Force craft struck a group of terrorists trying to lay explosives in the same general area.
The initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began on Jan. 19, expired on March 1 after the terrorist group rejected a U.S.-backed proposal to extend the truce by an additional 50 days.
Despite the ceasefire’s expiration, Israel has refrained from resuming full-scale military operations in Gaza, instead focusing on diplomatic efforts to secure the release of additional hostages held by Hamas.
Israeli officials have reported progress in negotiations with Hamas in Qatar, raising the possibility of a limited interim agreement. Following a high-level meeting with security officials and negotiators on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the negotiating team to continue talks. The discussions will be based on a proposal from U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which calls for the immediate release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased hostages still in Gaza.
Source: JNS
