Israel kills seven Gaza fighters including hostage captor Abu Said

The Israeli Defense Forces and the Shin Bet confirmed on Wednesday that seven terrorists were killed in a series of strikes in the Gaza Strip. The operation included the death of Gamal Abu Said, the individual who held Israeli hostage Omar Shem Tov during his captivity.

Abu Said held multiple senior roles within Hamas, including command of an anti-tank battalion and oversight of military specializations in the Central Camps Brigade. The military noted that he was also responsible for training operatives outside the Gaza Strip and served as a key intelligence source for the group regarding its international connections.

Strikes in the Khan Yunis area on Monday resulted in the deaths of two additional fighters. Mahmoud Jihad Mohammad Qafa, who led a sniper cell in Hamas's military wing, was killed alongside Asaad Suleiman Salman Qashta, a member of Jaish al-Islam. The following day, on Sunday, four more terrorists were targeted in the same region.

The Sunday strikes killed three Hamas members: Mohammad Zakaria Al-Jamal, a cell head; Shaher Mohammad Zaarab, a Nukhba Company Commander; and Mohammad Amin Al-Namas. A fourth individual, Mohammad Ali Abu Shaar, a sniper for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was also killed in the Sunday operations.

In a separate Monday announcement, the IDF detailed the elimination of four Hamas terrorists during weekend strikes. Nukhba fighter Muhammad Kamel Masleh Qadih was killed in Khan Younis. Qadih had infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and oversaw the preparation of Nukhba forces.

Diaa Abd al-Mohsen Muhammad Abu al-Rous, another Nukhba member, died in a strike in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza. In northern Gaza, the IDF killed Nabil Hamad, a senior recruiter, and Mohannad Nader Mahmoud Dahdouh, a sniper commander described as being actively engaged in combat against Israeli troops.