IDF Drone Strike Kills Hamas Company Commander Sharif al-Hasanat — Deir al-Balah

An Israeli drone strike hit the al-Hasanat family home in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on August 22, 2026 (Saturday), killing Sharif al-Hasanat, 44, whom the IDF identified as a company commander in Hamas's Deir al-Balah Battalion. The military said Hasanat had spent much of the war helping restore Hamas's underground tunnel infrastructure and had recently continued efforts to advance attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, describing him as posing an 'immediate threat.' Palestinian reports said the strike was carried out without warning in an area crowded with tents sheltering displaced people, killing one and wounding several others.