IDF Kills Hamas Military Intelligence Chief Iyad Ahmed Abd al Rahman Shambari in Gaza Strike

The Israel Defense Forces said it killed Iyad Ahmed Abd al Rahman Shambari, identified as the head of Hamas’s military intelligence operations division in Gaza, in a targeted strike reported on April 29.

“Residents in the Gaza Strip report that the Islamists continue to levy taxes and recruit new members”

DIE WELT

The Sunday Guardian described the IDF claim that Shambari was “the head of Hamas’s military intelligence operations division in Gaza” and said the strike came “amid ongoing violence despite a fragile ceasefire.”

DIE WELT

The article says Israeli military statements described Shambari as holding “a senior position within Hamas’s intelligence structure, overseeing operational assessments across Gaza.”

It further reports that the IDF described him as “a key planner involved in intelligence coordination and battlefield strategy,” including “preparing operational maps and threat analysis against Israeli forces deployed in the enclave.”

The Sunday Guardian also says the IDF and Shin Bet stated Shambari was eliminated in a targeted strike in northern Gaza and that the operation “reportedly involved precision aerial targeting.”

It adds that Israeli security officials alleged Shambari played a role in preparing “situational intelligence used during Hamas’s October 7 operation,” which the article says killed “an estimated 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli figures.”

The same report says Hamas had not issued an official response confirming or denying the death of Shambari at the time of reporting, and it emphasizes “the lack of immediate verification” between Israeli military claims and Gaza-based reporting channels.

Alongside the IDF claim about Shambari, the Sunday Guardian ties the strike to the broader pattern of violence continuing “amid ongoing violence despite a fragile ceasefire.”

It says Gaza health authorities reported “over 823 deaths since the truce began in early October,” and that the same reporting included “over 2,300 injuries.”

The Sunday Guardian

The article adds that “The United Nations has previously considered these figures broadly consistent with independent monitoring,” while also stating that “verification remains difficult due to ongoing conflict conditions.”

It also reports a separate incident in Gaza City’s Al Rimal district, saying “Local emergency services reported that a drone strike in Gaza City’s Al Rimal district killed four people and injured six others.”

The Sunday Guardian says that among the dead, local officials identified “Hamas commander Iyad al Shanbari and his son,” while also stating that “independent confirmation of identities has not been established.”

The report says the IDF stated “forces remain deployed across parts of Gaza and will continue operations against what it calls immediate threats.”

It frames Israeli officials’ position as targeting Hamas leadership figures involved in “intelligence and planning,” even under ceasefire conditions aimed at reducing “large-scale fighting.”

In parallel, the Sunday Guardian describes the conflict’s escalation after “October 7, 2023,” and says the war has resulted in “tens of thousands of casualties in Gaza according to local authorities, alongside widespread infrastructure destruction.”

A separate report from خبرگزاری دانشجو frames Israel’s campaign as genocide and places U.S. support at the center of the crisis.

“From the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on November 10 (AFP)”

العربیه فارسی

It says “The Israeli regime, with the continued slaughter in Gaza and the West Bank, is pursuing an unprecedented genocide,” and argues that “American support and global silence have intensified the humanitarian crisis.”

The article asserts that “the crimes of the Israeli regime range from incendiary bombs raining down on the tents of the most defenseless residents to attacks on hospitals and public gatherings,” and it says these actions are “spreading.”

It also claims that Israel is “inch[ing] toward a goal whereby the Palestinian people are completely expelled from their homeland,” while describing U.S. special envoy Steve Witkaf as reiterating the Trump administration’s position and calling for “the return of all Palestinian prisoners in one go.”

The report quotes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu saying, “This is a trick that only aims to buy time. We will not stop the war until we achieve our goals, one of which is the destruction of Hamas.”

It adds another Netanyahu quote: “The deaths of civilians are a tragedy, but this is what happens in war.”

The same piece includes quotes attributed to senior Israeli officials, including Smotrich saying, “He who does not die by a bullet must die of hunger,” and also claims Ben-Gvir and others call for “destroying all Palestinians” and say, “All of them must be killed.”

It further alleges threats about “nuclear bombs against Palestinians” and quotes Smotrich stating, “The United States supports our decision to destroy the idea of forming a Palestinian state.”

The report also quotes U.S. ambassador Mike Hakbi saying, “The commitment to Israel and belief in the divine mission in the Holy Land is no joke,” and says Hakbi described talk of widespread hunger in Gaza as “a grave mistake.”

While the Sunday Guardian focuses on Israeli claims of targeted killings, DIE WELT describes Hamas expanding its power again during the fragile truce that has been in effect since October.

It says residents in the Gaza Strip report that “the Islamists continue to levy taxes and recruit new members,” and that they are making “far-reaching demands of the Trump-installed administration committee.”

خبرگزاری دانشجو

DIE WELT reports that a diplomat warns about a scenario in which Hamas “used the fragile truce in effect since October to reorganize its forces and restore its authority over the Gaza Strip.”

It says that after fighters emerged from tunnels at the start of the ceasefire, “many Hamas fighters reestablished contact with other members of the armed wing with whom they had lost contact during the war.”

The report says Israel controls “about 40 percent of the territory,” and it states that “up to 70 percent” of the Gaza Strip was destroyed by Israeli bombardments in response to the October 7, 2023 attack.

DIE WELT also asserts that “around 70,000 Palestinians have been killed,” citing “as Israel has confirmed — civilians and Hamas fighters.”

It says the international committee to administer Gaza is based in Cairo and has “15 members,” while also stating that “cannot set foot in the enclave.”

The report describes Hamas’s refusal to be disarmed and says Hamas is “only willing to give up heavy weapons — a limited concession, since its stocks of rockets and shells after two years of war against Israel are nearly exhausted.”

It adds that Hamas demands gun ownership and that negotiations in Cairo include a demand that fighters keep “small arms” if they obtain a permit from the committee that will govern Gaza.

DIE WELT also quotes a Western diplomat saying, “Hamas is trying to copy Hezbollah's model in Lebanon: keep its weapons and at the same time share government responsibility with the technocratic committee by having some of its administrative staff absorbed there.”

Beyond the battlefield and internal governance, the European Union is considering a police-training plan for Gaza that Reuters says is under review by EU foreign ministers.

“The Israeli regime, with the continued slaughter in Gaza and the West Bank, is pursuing an unprecedented genocide”

خبرگزاری دانشجو

The Al Arabiya Persian report says the EU is considering training “3,000 Gaza police officers,” and that the EU monitoring mission under the plan would be extended to “non-military borders in Rafah” and include “other border crossings.”

فرارو

It reports that EU foreign ministers will “review next week a proposed plan to train 3,000 Palestinian police officers for final deployment in the Gaza Strip,” citing “a document seen today (Friday, 23 Aban) by Reuters.”

The report says the document prepared by the EU’s diplomatic service outlines options for participating in the implementation of “Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza,” and it states that “Israel and Hamas in October agreed to the first phase of this plan.”

It also says the implementation of remaining parts remains “shrouded in ambiguity.”

The Al Arabiya Persian report describes the mission to support police as providing training and direct support to “nearly 3,000 Palestinian police officers (on the payroll of the Palestinian Authority) from Gaza,” with the aim of training the entire force, which “numbers about 13,000 Palestinian police personnel.”

It adds that the document proposes expanding the EU mission to monitor non-military borders in Rafah to include “other border crossings,” while also saying “the likelihood of advancing these initiatives by the EU remains uncertain.”

The report also states that Russia submitted a draft resolution on Gaza to the United Nations and challenged Washington’s efforts to pass a US-drafted resolution that backs the US president’s plan for Gaza.