TEL AVIV, December 23. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported the elimination of Tharwat Muhammad Ahmed Albec, the head of the Security Directorate of Hamas’ Security Mechanisms.

"Albec was operating in a command and control center that was embedded in a compound that previously served as the "Musa bin Nusayr" school in Duraj Taffa," the IDF said.

"The Security Directorate of Hamas’ Security Mechanisms produces intelligence assessments that help within Hamas’ decision-making and is also responsible for the security of senior Hamas members, providing them hideout places to ensure the continuation of their military activities. Albec served as a central figure in the Security Mechanisms and as a significant figure in the decision-making process," it said, adding that prior to the strike measures had been taken to mitigate risks for civilians.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hostilities continue until now.