Israel claims it has killed a Hamas counter-espionage officer in overnight strikes that also claimed the lives of six fighters in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say it killed Bilal Nofal, a Hamas officer in charge of interrogating suspected spies, in strikes in the southern district of the Strip.

His assassination “significantly impacts the terrorist organisation’s capacity to develop and enhance its capabilities,” it said.

Israel said at the start of the year that it had largely dismantled Hamas in northern Gaza and would scale back operations there, focusing on dense urban areas in the centre and south of the territory.

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