Israel Eliminates Senior Hamas Member Directing West Bank Terror

Latest Developments

A joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency on August 8 confirmed that a senior Hamas operative was eliminated in an airstrike two weeks earlier. Nael Sakhel, who was centrally involved in directing Hamas attacks in the West Bank for more than a decade, was killed in the airstrike on July 24 in the Gaza Strip.

From his base in Gaza, Sakhel financed terrorism and supplied weapons to West Bank cells that carried out attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, the statement noted.

Israel arrested Sakhel in 2003 for his role in a suicide bombing. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released to the Gaza Strip as a part of a hostage-for-prisoner exchange with Hamas in 2011.

Expert Analysis

“That Sakhel was released in the 2011 prisoner swap demonstrates the futility of such deals. Recidivism is inevitable with terrorists belonging to groups like Hamas, which are ideologically committed to destroying Israel. Any such future swaps will prolong the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by reintroducing unrepentant extremists into society.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

“Since the rise in violence in the West Bank began in 2021, Hamas has intensified its efforts to coordinate, arm, and finance its operatives in the territory. While Israeli forces have been able to target Hamas cells in the West Bank, key orchestrators such as Naem Sakhel remained relatively safe in Gaza. However, in the context of the ongoing war, Israel has actively pursued those responsible for terrorist activities in the West Bank and has achieved a degree of success in this endeavor.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Hamas Commander Eliminated in Tulkarem

On August 3, Israeli drone strikes near Tulkarem in the northern West Bank killed at least nine Palestinian terrorists, including the commander of the local wing of Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. According to the IDF, Haitham al-Balidi and four other terrorists were targeted while traveling in a vehicle near Tulkarem. An IDF spokesperson informed the Israeli broadcaster Kan that “the squad was on its way to execute a large-scale attack,” The Jerusalem Post reported.

The initial drone strike was followed by an IDF counterterrorism operation in Tulkarem, leading to a second drone assault, The Times of Israel reported. Reports from both Israeli and Palestinian sources confirmed that at least four more terrorists were killed in this subsequent strike. Additionally, Safa, a local news agency affiliated with Hamas, reported clashes between IDF forces and terrorists in Qaffin, located north of Tulkarem.

Related Analysis

“Israel Braces for Possible Iranian Proxy Attack From West Bank,” FDD Flash Brief

“Mapping Terrorism in the West Bank,” by Joe Truzman

“Hamas Commander Eliminated in Israeli Strike Near West Bank City of Tulkarem,” FDD Flash Brief