MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces have announced elimination of two major representatives of the Hamas radical movement’s intelligence. A corresponding statement was published on the armed forces’ Twitter page on Wednesday.

"Our fighter jets, with the ISA, neutralized key figures of Hamas' intelligence: Hassan Kaogi, head of the Hamas military intelligence security department & his deputy Wail Issa, head of the military intelligence counterespionage department," the statement said.

An exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Palestinian radicals from the Gaza Strip followed an outburst of unrest near the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City in early May. More than 700 people have been hurt in riots in recent days. Clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli police were triggered by an Israeli court ruling to seize dwelling houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from Arab families who have been living there for more than 50 years in favor of Jewish resettlers who had reportedly owned these buildings before 1948.