«Fighter jets attacked yesterday (Saturday) in the direction of information from the Amman and the Shin Bet in the Khan Younis area and killed Rafe Salama, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade in Hamas.

Salama was one of the associates of Muhammad Daif, the head of the military wing of Hamas, one of the planners and executors of the 7/10 massacre.

Salama joined Hamas in the early 1990s and was appointed to the position of Maj. Gen. Khan Younes-Karara, under the command of Muhammad Sinwar, and during his years of activity in Hamas he took a central role in the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. Salama commanded Hamas's combat assistance and defense plan in Operation Cliff Eitan' was also responsible for the tunnel plans in the Khan Yunis division.

In 2016, he replaced Sinwar as the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, and commanded the two tunnel attacks that were foiled in Khan Yunis during the 'Guardian of the Walls' operation, in which 18 terrorists who tried to enter the country were eliminated. He also commanded the Khan Yunis Brigade of Hamas terrorists and was responsible for all launches carried out by the Khan Yunis Division into Israeli territory.

His elimination constitutes a significant damage to Hamas's military function.»