The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet, Israel’s Security Agency, said they eliminated Wael Musa Khaled al-Ladawi, commander of Hamas’s Internal Security forces for the central camps in the Gaza Strip, in a precise airstrike on his vehicle in Deir al-Balah, while Israeli troops separately destroyed a Hamas tunnel in northern Gaza as part of ongoing operations against the group’s military infrastructure.
🔴ELIMINATED: Wael Musa Khaled Ladawi in the Deir al-Balah area, the Head of Hamas’ Internal Security in Central Gaza.
Under Ladawi’s command, the apparatus collected intelligence for senior Hamas officials, supporting their decision-making and facilitating the planning and…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 27, 2026
According to the IDF and Shin Bet, al-Ladawi led Hamas’s Internal Security forces in the central camps and oversaw an organization responsible for gathering intelligence for the group’s senior leadership.
The military said the security service under al-Ladawi “collected intelligence for senior Hamas officials, supporting their decision-making and facilitating the planning and execution of terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.”
Separately, the IDF said troops from the Northern Gaza Brigade and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, operating under the 99th Division, demolished a Hamas tunnel during operations east of the “Yellow Line.”
The military said the tunnel was part of Hamas’s underground network and was destroyed as part of a broader campaign to dismantle the group’s military infrastructure in northern Gaza.
🎥WATCH: A Hamas terror tunnel in northern Gaza, stretching hundreds of meters. As part of operations to dismantle Hamas’ underground terror network, IDF soldiers dismantled the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/BmZhL1bhmQ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 27, 2026
The IDF released video footage of the operation, saying the tunnel was destroyed during engineering activities to clear the area of terrorist infrastructure.
According to the military, the operation formed part of continuing efforts to locate and eliminate Hamas military assets in northern Gaza.
The IDF also said Southern Command forces remain deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire framework.
It added that troops will continue operating against any immediate threats.
The military presented the elimination of al-Ladawi as a strike against Hamas’s internal security apparatus, which it said played a key role in supporting the organization’s leadership and facilitating terrorist attacks against Israel.
The tunnel demolition was described as a separate operation carried out by forces operating under the 99th Division to continue dismantling Hamas’s underground infrastructure while maintaining the deployment of Southern Command forces under the ceasefire framework.
