Israel airstrikes kill Hamas naval commander in Gaza ahead of Netanyahu's meeting with Trump

In a major success claimed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Hamas' naval commander Ramzi Ramadan Abd Ali Saleh has been eliminated along with other members of the Palestinian militant group, said IDF on Sunday (July 6).

Saleh, Hamas' top naval commander in northern Gaza was involved in planning several terrorist attacks against the Israeli forces in the recent months.

"Saleh was a significant source of knowledge in the Hamas terrorist organisation, and in recent weeks was involved in planning and advancing maritime terrorist attacks against IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip, said IDF.

The deputy head of the militant group's mortar shell array cell, Hisham Ayman Atiya Mansour was also killed in the attack.

The IDF claimed to take utmost care in minimising civilian casualties while carrying out the attack against both the Hamas leaders.

Taking to the microblogging site X, the IDF wrote, “ELIMINATED: Commander of Hamas’ Naval Force in northern Gaza and additional terrorists. The terrorist Ramzi Ramadan Abd Ali Saleh was eliminated by the IDF in Gaza City. Saleh was a significant source of knowledge within Hamas and in recent weeks, was involved in planning and advancing maritime terrorist attacks against IDF troops operating in Gaza.”

The claims have been made by the Israeli military amid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu preparing to leave for Washington, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday.

Netanyahu trip will be his third meeting with Trump since the US President took oath for the second term in January. During his trip Netanyahu will also meet Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hasegawa among other leaders.

Recently, the Israeli military said it had killed Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ top military chief, and Mohammed Sinwar, a key commander and brother of Hamas’ former leader.