# Gazan Sources Say Israel Killed Hamas Gaza Brigade Commander in Targeted Strike

*Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 6:08 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-29T06:08:43.613Z (2h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 9/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/19116.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Gazan sources say Israeli jets struck an apartment in western Gaza City, killing Az al‑Din al‑Baykh, the commander of Hamas’ Gaza Brigade, and deputy commander Imad Aslim in a pre‑dawn attack.

Gazan sources aligned with Hamas report that Israel has killed the commander of the group’s Gaza Brigade in a targeted airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City.

According to these accounts, Israeli fighter jets struck an apartment in the Natzar neighborhood in western Gaza City in the early morning hours, dropping three bombs on the site. The strike reportedly killed Az al‑Din al‑Baykh, also known as Abu Hamza and “Asmawi,” described as the commander of the Gaza Brigade in Hamas’ military wing.

The same Gazan reporting says the attack also killed Imad Aslim, Abu Hassan, identified as the deputy Gaza Brigade commander and commander of the Zeitoun Battalion. Israel has not issued a detailed public statement on this specific strike.

These sources state that al‑Baykh is the third Hamas brigade‑level commander in Gaza killed in recent weeks, alongside other brigade commanders eliminated in earlier Israeli strikes. The Gaza Brigade is one of several formations structuring Hamas’ armed forces in the territory.

For residents of Gaza City, the incident reinforces that apartment blocks remain targets when used as housing or meeting places for senior militants, exposing surrounding civilians to blast effects and building collapses when the sites are hit.

On the Israeli side, the operation fits into a campaign of targeted killings aimed at Hamas’ leadership. Such strikes depend on intelligence collection and rapid decision‑making to locate and hit specific individuals in dense urban areas.

Signals to watch now include any formal confirmation or denial from Hamas regarding the commanders’ deaths, announcements of replacements within the Gaza Brigade, and any change in the tempo or organization of Hamas military activity in the city following the reported strike.