The IDF, on Wednesday, undertook its first preemptive strike against a Hamas official since the late July deal between US President Donald Trump and Hamas regarding partial disarmament for partial IDF Gaza withdrawals.
Shortly after that deal, the US essentially instructed Israel to stop attacking Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complied.
Since then, there have been a limited number of instances where the IDF shot and killed Hamas fighters near the border who presented what they called an immediate threat, but there have essentially been no assassinations of Hamas officials who did not pose an imminent threat.
IDF targets Hamas commander away from Gaza border
However, Wednesday’s airstrike was against a Hamas terror cell commander in northern Gaza who was nowhere near the border and presented no immediate threat.
Rather, the IDF said he was killed because he was planning to order or carry out future terror attacks.
Strike could test US limits on Israeli action in Gaza
It was unclear how the US would respond to the airstrike, which could be viewed as violating the limits it set for Israel following the late July deal.
Alternatively, the late July deal was supposed to lead to Hamas starting to hand over some weapons within two weeks, and the airstrike could be a light reminder from Israel, with the US looking the other way, that if Hamas does not start handing over some weapons soon, Washington can easily remove its restraint on Jerusalem.
Hamas military drill may have influenced Israeli decision
It is also possible that the cabinet and the IDF high command ordered the airstrike in response to Hamas’s recent planning of a potential large-scale military drill, with Israeli officials receiving public criticism for not firing on Hamas.
Earlier Wednesday, the IDF issued a statement saying that the Hamas drill never materialized, but ordering the airstrike could still be a message to the group that even planning such a drill is seen by Israel as out of bounds.