An airstrike killed a Hamas leader who commanded the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist assault that killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians, Israeli officials said Saturday, while thousands of residents raced to get out of an increasingly chaotic and dangerous Gaza Strip ahead of a possible full-scale ground incursion.
The Israel Defense Forces said its strike took out Ali Qadi, a top Hamas figure who led terrorist assaults last week against Israeli settlements near the country’s border with Gaza.
“Ali Qadi led the inhumane, barbaric Oct. 7 massacre of civilians in Israel. We just eliminated him. All Hamas terrorists will meet the same fate,” the IDF said in a social media post.
Israeli officials said they arrested Qadi in 2005 in connection with the “kidnapping and murder” of Israelis. He was freed in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange.
Last weekend’s Hamas attack was the single bloodiest day for Israel in decades. At least 27 Americans were also killed in the assault, while about 150 people are believed to be held hostage by Hamas militants, including some U.S. citizens.
Israel has launched a massive military response in the days since that attack. The IDF has pounded Gaza with airstrikes and has amassed troops and equipment along the Israel-Gaza border in preparation for what looks to be a major ground operation.
Ahead of that possible operation, Israel warned more than 1 million residents in the northern section of the Gaza Strip to leave the area immediately. Israel repeated that call on social media Saturday, while IDF aircraft also reportedly dropped leaflets over Gaza since many residents no longer have access to the internet or, in some cases, electricity.
Thousands of Palestinians were reportedly fleeing the northern stretch of Gaza on Saturday ahead of a midnight deadline. Israel said it would allow civilians to flee south on two roads and would guarantee their safety along those routes.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and is financially supported by Iran, has urged civilians to ignore the Israeli orders and remain in their homes.
Israel has been careful not to choreograph its military plans publicly. But there were signs late Friday that a ground incursion may be on the horizon. Officials confirmed that IDF troops conducted their first ground raids in Gaza.
“During the last day, the IDF forces carried out local raids in the territory of the Gaza Strip to complete the effort to cleanse the area of terrorists and weapons. In these operations, an effort was also made to locate missing people,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, said in a social media post.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not offer details about what Israel’s response will look like in the coming days, but he made clear that the offensive is in its early stages.
“This is just the beginning,” Mr. Netanyahu said in an address late Friday. “We will end this war stronger than ever.”
“We will destroy Hamas,” he said.
The United Nations and a host of other international organizations have warned that Israel’s evacuation order is virtually impossible. Critics fear losing innocent lives is inevitable unless Israel rescinds the order.
Foreign officials warned again Saturday of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the inevitability that, unless something changes, scores of civilians could soon die.
“The priority now needs to be to stop further civilian suffering. And here, we need to find a way to quickly de-escalate the situation, to quickly bring back peace, at least stopping the guns, and then working towards addressing also the humanitarian challenges,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said Saturday during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Riyadh.
The Biden administration has been careful not to criticize the Israeli response publicly and has insisted the U.S. stands fully behind Jerusalem’s right to defend itself after such a horrific terrorist attack. But Mr. Blinken also stressed the need to protect innocent lives.
“None of us want to see suffering by civilians on any side, whether it’s in Israel, whether it’s in Gaza, whether it’s anywhere else,” Mr. Blinken said. ” And we’re working together to do our best to protect them.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.