In a post on X, the military said: "The IDF eliminated Wael Asefa, Commander of Hamas' Deir al-Balah Battalion. Asefa aided in the dispatch of thousands of terrorists to assault, abduct and murder Israeli civilians on October 7th."
Amidst political turbulence, internal conflicts, and global rivalries in the region, Gaza occupies a unique place with its 4,000-year history that predates the Israel-Arab tensions of the 20th century.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV news, citing government sources, reported on Sunday night that a minimum of 700 individuals lost their lives in Hamas' coordinated assault.
Gilad Erdan, asserted on Sunday: "It is imperative now to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas, eradicating it entirely to prevent the recurrence of such atrocities."
Initially, an Air India Flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv on Saturday and a return flight from Tel Aviv to New Delhi were cancelled in the wake of Hamas attack on Israel.