Gaza reports 14 dead after Israel says it killed two top Hamas figures
The military identified a failed rocket launch from Gaza on Thursday toward an area of Gaza City then Israeli troops were operating the mission.
The Israel Defense Forces gives a statement yesterday (9 January) that it killed two top Hamas figures in Thursday's airstrikes, but Gaza health officials reported 14 deaths in 24 hours.
IDF gives a statement that the military killed Kamal Abd al-Rahman Muhammad Awad, identifying him as the head of Hamas' anti-tank missile unit. The military also reported the death of Ahmad Thabet, whom it identified as a central figure in Hamas' weapons production unit.
The military identified a failed rocket launch from Gaza on Thursday toward an area of Gaza City then Israeli troops were operating the mission.
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WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, confirmed Awad's death but characterized him as a civilian.
The IDF also reported targeting a command-and-control compound in northern Gaza on Thursday, killing four militants it said were using the site to store weapons and plan attacks.
Hamas yet gives any official statement about the specific deaths, but Spokesman Hazem Qassem said the attacks "demonstrate the Israeli occupation's abandonment of its commitment to the ceasefire."
Separately, Gaza health authorities said 14 Palestinians, including five children, were killed and 17 wounded in Israeli attacks over the past day.
Since a ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, Gaza's death toll has risen to 439 with 1,223 injuries, according to local health authorities. Rescue teams have recovered 688 bodies during that period. In the broader conflict, at least 71,409 Palestinians have been killed and 171,304 wounded since Israel's military campaign in Gaza began in October 2023.
