GAZA STRIP: Palestinian militant group Hamas said Tuesday one of the top leaders of its armed wing was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. “Ayman Nofal, ‘Abu Ahmad’, a member of the general military council and commander of the central command in Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed” in an Israeli strike on the central Gaza Strip, Hamas said in a statement, referring to its military wing. The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the killing when contacted by AFP. Israel has bombarded Hamas-ruled Gaza in retaliation for raids by the militants on October 7, the deadliest attacks in the country’s history. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel and more than 2,700 in Gaza, according to officials on both sides. Israel has evacuated many of its border communities during the ongoing hostilities, while it has been impossible for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents to leave the Palestinian territory.