Senior Islamic Jihad rocket-production commander killed in Khan Younis strike

Israeli forces killed Adam Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Khadid, a senior and central commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s secret weapons-production network, in a targeted strike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to the IDF. The military said the strike took place two days ago, on Tuesday, in the Khan Younis area.

The IDF described Islamic Jihad’s production arm as one of the group’s most strategic and sensitive branches, responsible for the independent production, upgrading and steady supply of weapons, rockets and explosive devices for fighters in its military wing. Abu Khadid was said to have played an active and leading role in both the technological and operational work inside that network.

According to Israeli intelligence, the military infrastructure under his direct command had recently been working intensively to produce additional and more advanced weapons. The IDF said those arms were intended to strike maneuvering Israeli troops inside Gaza and civilians in Israel.

The strike is presented by the military as a targeted killing of a key figure in Islamic Jihad’s rocket and weapons manufacturing system, which it views as vital to the organization’s military capabilities.