Top Hamas official Izz al-Din Kassab was killed in an airstrike earlier today in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF and Shin Bet announce, Paralel.Az reports citing Times of Israel.

Kasab was one of the last remaining members of Hamas’s political bureau, where he served as head of national relations.

According to the military, he was responsible for coordination between Hamas and the other terror groups in Gaza.

“Kassab was a significant source of power and, by virtue of his role, was responsible for the organization’s strategic and military relations with other factions in the Gaza Strip. He held the authority to direct the execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel,” the IDF says in a statement.

According to the IDF, Kassab’s assistant, Ayman Ayesh, was also killed in the strike.