IDF confirms top Hamas operative Faiq Mabhouh killed as battle around Gaza's largest hospital rages on

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday confirmed that its troops killed senior Hamas operative during this morning's raid on Gaza City's Shifa Hospital. According to the IDF, Faiq Mabhouh, the head of the Operations Directorate of Hamas' Internal Security, was armed and hiding inside Shifa complex, "from which he was working to advance terror activity."

The IDF confirmed that the Hamas leader was killed amid an exchange of fire during an attempt to arrest him. According to the Israeli forces, its troops recovered a cache of arms in a nearby room.

Israel stated that Mabhouh was responsible for 'synchronization' of various units of the Palestinian terrorist group in the Gaza Strip, including during the ongoing war.

According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, Faiq Mabhouh, serving as the head of operations for internal security, held a significant position in a clandestine police force primarily focused on suppressing political opposition within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's pre-dawn operation  in and around Gaza's largest hospital came at a time of growing concern over a looming Israeli ground invasion of Gaza's crowded far-southern city of Rafah.