Among the dozens of terrorists killed Thursday evening during Israeli military operations in Gaza was Said Siam, the third most senior Hamas leader in the territory.
Siam served as the Hamas regime's interior minister for the past two years, putting him in charge of all Hamas armed forces in Gaza. He was widely feared and regarded as an enforcer for the terror group.
Also eliminated was Hamas' so-called "Iranian Unit," a battalion of some 100 supposedly "elite" fighters who had been trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guard at Hizballah bases in Lebanon.
Ha'aretz reports that most of the units members were killed during clashes with Israeli troops pushing into Gaza City on Thursday.
One of the many terrorists captured during the Gaza operation was interviewed by Israel's Ma'ariv daily newspaper this week, and said Hamas had been totally taken off guard by Israel's powerful and determined response to its increased rocket fire on Israeli towns.
"We thought at worst Israel will come and do something from the air - something superficial," said the 52-year-old long-time terrorist. "We never thought that we would reach the point where fear will swallow the heart and the feet will want to flee. You [Israel] are fighting like you fought in 1948. What got into you all of a sudden?"
Meanwhile, Hamas missiles continued to hit southern Israel on Thursday evening and Friday morning, though with greatly decreased frequency.
Two missiles slammed into a building in the town of Beersheva on Thursday evening, wounding six people, two seriously.
On Friday morning two medium-range missiles it the town of Kiryat Gat, wounding another three Israelis.
Dozens more rockets struck other towns without causing injuries.