Israel killed 3 Hezbollah operatives, a top Hamas commander

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said on Sunday that the terror group’s arms are “a right guaranteed by international law,” and rejected the International Stabilization Force (ISF) envisioned by US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which was enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution last month. In a speech marking the 38th anniversary of Hamas’s establishment, Hayya also confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces killed Raad Saad, a top Hamas commander, on Saturday. Separately, the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza accused Israel of orchestrating the killing of an internal security officer in the terror group on Sunday morning. In his speech, Hayya said the ISF should be limited to “maintaining the ceasefire and separating the parties along the Gaza Strip’s border.”

He also said Hamas — which Trump’s plan forbids from playing any role in Gaza’s governance — is prepared to hand over its authorities and “facilitate the work” of the apolitical technocratic Palestinian commission that would administer the Strip on a civilian level under the plan. Hamas stands firm in “rejecting all forms of custody” over the Palestinian people, and will not give up its arms absent a Palestinian state, said Hayya.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday carried out three separate drone strikes in southern Lebanon, targeting what it said were three Hezbollah operatives who were violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Lebanese media reported that Israeli aircraft carried out strikes against vehicles in the south Lebanon towns of Yater, Safad al-Battikh, and Jouaiya. According to the IDF, all three strikes resulted in the deaths of the Hezbollah operatives. During the morning, the military said it struck and killed a Hezbollah member in the village of Yater, who it said was involved in restoring the terror group’s infrastructure. In the afternoon, the IDF said it carried out a strike near Jouaiya, killing Zakariya Yahya al-Hajj, who the military said was a senior Hezbollah operative in the area. The IDF said it struck and killed another Hezbollah operative near Bint Jbeil, close to Safad al-Battikh.