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Israeli Forces Kill Islamic Jihad Commander in Southern Gaza
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander on Friday who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz. The military said the man had violated a ceasefire by rebuilding militant capabilities and planning attacks.
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Israeli forces killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander on Friday in a joint operation with the Israel Security Agency in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said he had infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023 assault and participated in the abduction of an Israeli teenager.
The IDF statement said Abu Mustafa had played a significant role in rebuilding the group's military capabilities in recent months, in violation of the ceasefire agreement. It added that he had advanced attacks against Israeli troops and attempted to conduct training at Nasser Hospital.
Israeli forces recovered a photo showing Abu Mustafa inside Israeli territory during the abduction. The teenager spent 52 days in captivity before release in November 2023.
In a separate operation, the IDF said it killed Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish, described as a Hamas Nukhba operative involved in training and recruiting. On Saturday, Israeli forces killed two more Hamas members. One was identified as Ahmad Munir Khalil Zaza, an engineering officer in the West Jabalia Battalion who produced weapons and attempted to plant explosives near Israeli troops.
The other was identified as Hussein Safadi, described as commander of Hamas's sniper array in Gaza City who had directed attacks and conducted training despite the ceasefire. Israeli forces remain deployed in Gaza under the Southern Command and will continue operations against immediate threats, the IDF said.
