TEL AVIV, October 28. /TASS/. Israeli fighter jets struck the head of the Aerial Array of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, Asem Abu Rakaba, last night, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"Overnight, based on IDF and ISA (the Israeli Security Agency - TASS) intelligence, IDF fighter jets struck the Head of Hamas' Aerial Array, Asem Abu Rakaba," the IDF reported on its Telegram channel. "He took part in planning the massacre in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip on October 7. He directed the terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders and was responsible for the drone attacks on IDF posts," the IDF added.

According to the Israeli military, Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas' unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, paragliders, as well as aerial detection and defense.

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 when Hamas militants launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total siege of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.

According to the latest reports, in Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed in the conflict, with about 5,500 of others being injured. Over 7,000 Palestinians have lost their lives and almost 18,500 people have been wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza, local health officials reported.