The IDF and Shin Bet announced in a joint statement Saturday night that a long-sought, major Hamas commander was eliminated earlier in the day.
“Following precise IDF and ISA intelligence, IAF fighter jets eliminated Hamas’ Shujaiya Battalion Commander, Wessam Farhat,” the statement said.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagai noted that Farhat was responsible for the kidnapping of IDF soldier Oron Shaul during the 2014 war, Operation Protective Edge.
Farhat began his command over the battalion in 2010 and commanded it during Operation “Protective Edge” – during which he ordered terrorists to target IDF soldiers in Shujaiya, including a dual attack that resulted in the deaths of six IDF soldiers.
The terrorist commander was among those who planned the October 7th massacre, during which he directed Hamas “Nuhkba” terrorists to infiltrate the Nahal Oz Kibbutz and IDF post.
Farhat was also one of the masterminds of the 2002 terror attack on Mechinat Atzmona, in which five Israeli civilians were killed.
Moreover, he was one of the masterminds of the anti-tank missile terror attack on a civilian bus in Nahal Oz in 2011, in which an Israeli child was killed.
In 1995, while he was on his way to carry out a suicide attack in Israel, Farhat was captured and arrested by security forces; he was incarcerated in an Israeli prison for 10 years.
Following his return to Gaza, he worked in rocket production for the Hamas terrorist organization.
Since the beginning of the war, the IDF and Shin Bet have significantly degraded the capabilities of the Shujaiya Battalion, including eliminating their senior commanders and the striking of terror infrastructure and weapons.
