JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had killed a senior Hamas military official in an artillery strike on the Gaza Strip.

Mohammed Katamish, deputy commander of the Palestinian resistance group's rocket and artillery system, who is also responsible for directing rocket fire in the central region, was killed, said a joint statement by Israel's security service Shin-Bet and the army.

Katamish is "an important element in the planning and implementation of Hamas' rocket launch into Israel at every stage of the war with Gaza," the statement said.

No statement has yet come from Hamas on the matter.

Israel continues its intensive bombardment of Gaza on the 16th day.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

At least 4,651 Palestinians, including 1,873 children and 1,023 women have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

*Writing by Merve Berker