The military announced Saturday that it killed Muhannad Asaad Mahmoud Abu Ghazal, who led the Nukhba cell that raided the Kissufim area on Oct. 7, in a precision strike on Monday. Two other Hamas operatives — an aerial surveillance operative and a military intelligence chief — were killed in separate strikes on Tuesday. 'One by one — we will reach all. Everyone who participated in the massacre,' the IDF and Shin Bet said.
The IDF and Shin Bet announced Saturday evening the elimination of Muhannad Asaad Mahmoud Abu Ghazal, the commander of the Hamas Nukhba cell that raided the Kissufim area on October 7, 2023. Abu Ghazal was killed in a precision strike on Monday in central Gaza, the military said. Two other operatives — Raed Hani Mohammed, an aerial surveillance operative, and Nabhan Mohammed Nabhan al-Amsi, head of a section in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade military intelligence — were killed in separate strikes on Tuesday. The joint statement included a vow: "One by one — we will reach all. Everyone who participated in the massacre."
The announcement followed the IDF's initial confirmation at 20:56 Jerusalem, which identified the three operatives by name and provided the strike timeline. The thread shows the military released the information in incremental updates, with the joint Shin Bet statement adding the pledge to pursue all perpetrators. The strikes occurred earlier in the week, but the confirmation was delayed, indicating verification and coordination.
The Zioneer has reported on the broader campaign to eliminate Nukhba commanders. On July 10, the IDF killed Yahya Saeed Mohammed Hamdan, a commander who infiltrated the Re'im base. On July 7, Ahmad Yahya Ibrahim Batsh, another Nukhba cell commander, was eliminated. These strikes are part of the ongoing effort to degrade Hamas's military and intelligence capabilities, as The Zioneer has previously reported.
The full extent of the Nukhba network still being targeted remains unclear. The IDF has not specified whether additional operatives are known to be at large or what the next steps in the campaign entail.
4 developments
- DevelopingIDF eliminates senior Hamas commander involved in October 7 infiltration at Kisufim
- StrongIDF says it killed 12 terrorists in Gaza, including senior Hamas figures and Oct. 7 Nukhba cell commander
- StrongIDF kills two Hamas cell commanders in central and northern Gaza strikes
- StrongIDF kills Hamas cell commander who took part in October 7 abduction of three from Nir Oz
Source and signal
- Open-source intake