Israel kills Palestinian commander Muhammad Jaber ‘Abu Shujaa’ as fighting intensifies: IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on Thursday morning that it killed a leading Palestinian battle commander, something the Palestinians also said happened.

The IDF posted that it killed Palestinian terrorist Muhhamad Jabber, also known as "Abu Shujaa," during a counterterrorism operation.

"​​The terrorist Muhhamad Jabber, "Abu Shujaa", was eliminated following exchanges of fire during counterterrorism operations in Tulkarm," the IDF posted Thursday, stating that he "was the head of a terrorist network in Nur Shams," and "was involved in carrying out numerous terrorist attacks[.]"

The IDF specifically said Jabber played a role in a deadly shooting in June in which Israeli civilian Amnon Muchtar was killed.

US TOP GENERAL SAYS TENSIONS IN MIDDLE EAST HAVE 'SOMEWHAT' EASED AMID NEW IRANIAN THREATS

The IDF stated that Jabber was "eliminated" along with four other terrorists who were hiding inside a mosque in Tulkarm, a Palestinian city in the West Bank.

The media office of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is a State Department designated foreign terrorist organization, confirmed the news with an obituary statement on its Telegram channel.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES MAJOR WEST BANK COUNTERTERROR OPERATION THAT KILLS 9 MILITANTS, IDF SAYS

"The Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine claims, to our people and the people of our Arab and Islamic nation, the martyrdom of the Mujahid brother Muhammad Jaber (Abu Shuja), commander of the Tulkarm Battalion of the Jerusalem Brigades, and one of its first founders،"

This comes as the Israel-Hamas War quickly moves to the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel last year, and as Israel is on heightened alert with Iran and terrorist groups like Hezbollah in the region.