Tel Aviv, March 31 (IANS): The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said that it had killed four senior Hamas leaders during the operations at Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital where several men belonging to the terror outfit were holed up.

The deceased have been identified as Raad Thabet, who according to IDF, is the head of the Hamas's recruitment and supply acquisition and Mahmoud Khalil Zakzuk, who as per IDF statement, is the deputy commander of Hamas rocket unit in Gaza City.

The other two have been identified as senior Hamas operatives, Fadi Dweik and Zakaria Najib.

The IDF said that Dweik was a senior intelligence officer of the Hamas and was involved in the 2002 shooting incident at West Bank that led to the killing of four Israeli citizens.

Zakaria Najib, the IDF said, was a senior operative in Hamas's West Bank headquarters and was involved in executing and planning attacks on Israel in the West Bank.

The IDF in a statement on Saturday night said that exchange of fire was continuing in Al-Shifa hospital premises and that its troops have killed around 200 Hamas operatives inside the hospital.

The statement also said that the IDF killed several Hamas gunmen on Saturday in southern Gaza's Khan Younis area.

The army said that the Israel Air Force had also carried out aerial attacks in al-Amal and al-Quarara region mainly to support the ground invasion of the IDF.

Sources in Israel Defence Ministry told IANS that the IDF was conducting combing operations in Al-Shifa and Al-Nasser hospitals where several Hamas operatives are holed up even now.