Who is Zahi Yaser Oufi, the Hamas commander in the West Bank killed by Israel?

The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), better known as the al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of Hamas, has confirmed that one of its top leaders has been killed in an airstrike by Israel in the West Bank. Zahi Yaser Oufi, who was the head of the Hamas network in the West Bank, was killed along with seven other fighters in the city of Tulkarm on Thursday, the al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement on Friday.  

CREDIT: REUTERS

18 people killed in airstrike

According to Palestinian officials, at least 18 people were killed in the airstrike on Thursday night on Tulkarm's Noor Shams refugee camp, one of the most densely populated in the occupied West Bank.  

Local residents said Ayyth Radwan, another commander from the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, was also killed, but there was no immediate confirmation from either faction.  

Also read: Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah's 'number two' and presumed successor of Hassan Nasrallah targeted by Israel

CREDIT: REUTERS

Who is Zahi Yaser Oufi

According to the IDF, Oufi was the mastermind of an attempted car bombing attack in Ateret in September. Oufi is said to have supplied weaponry to a large number of militants and was planning another terror attack soon in the West Bank.  

In its response, the al-Qassam Brigades said, "its upcoming series of responses will be in actions before words," and that it will make Israel "pay the price for its criminal decisions."  

Worst attack in West Bank since 2002

According to locals, the airstrike on Thursday was the largest in the West Bank in over two decades. With the first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel just around the corner, the hostilities between the two sides show no signs of de-escalation anytime soon.  

Also read: Khamenei reportedly warned Nasrallah about Israeli assassination plot, asked him to flee Lebanon

CREDIT: REUTERS

Khamenei makes rare public appearance   

On Friday, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel. Khamenei, who was reportedly shifted to a safe location following the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, made a rare public address on Friday.  

"The resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms and will win," Khamenei said.

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