Tel Aviv: Azmi Abu Daqqa, a prominent Hamas operative in the terror group's Procurement Dept. was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, the Israel Defence Forces said on Sunday.

Daqqa was actively involved in smuggling weapons and funds into Gaza for Hamas.

Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck dozens of other terror targets, including two tactical-level Hamas commanders who were preparing attacks on Israeli ground forces troops in the Rafah area.

Meanwhile, in the Jabalya area of northern Gaza, soldiers located large quantities of weapons, including rocket launchers, explosives, anti-tank missiles, AK-47s, drones, and grenades, as well as a weapons production workshop. Hamas is trying to regroup in northern Gaza.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 128 remaining hostages, some 40 are believed dead.

(With Inputs From Agencies)