The Israeli military has said that it carried out an air strike in northern Gaza on Wednesday that killed Amjad Muhammad Hassan Shaer, whom it claimed was the head of the counterintelligence directorate in the general security apparatus of Hamas, Al Jazeera reports.

The military statement said the directorate is responsible for “suppressing opposition to Hamas’ rule, thwarting espionage against the terrorist organisation, and securing senior officials and assets of the terrorist organisation within the Gaza Strip and outside of it”.

It added that ground and air attacks on Gaza are continuing, and Israeli warplanes have bombed areas across the enclave “dozens of times” over the past 24 hours.