Jerusalem, Oct 15 (IANS): The head of Hamas' Aerial Unit was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, Israeli military and security agency said.

Israel's military and Shin Bet domestic security agency announced in a joint statement the killing of Samer Abu Daqqa, head of Hamas' aerial operations, in an attack by warplanes in September, Xinhua news agency reported.

Abu Daqqa got involved in numerous drone attacks and played a central role in Hamas' aerial operations after succeeding former Hamas aerial array chief Asem Abu Rakaba, who was assassinated by Israel last October, according to the statement.

Israeli security officials said Abu Daqqa was also a key figure behind Hamas' paraglider and drone infiltrations into southern Israel during its surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,200 fatalities and triggered the ongoing Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza.

The Israeli assaults on Gaza have so far killed 42,289 Palestinians, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Monday.