The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said Monday they killed Saba'ai Zahir Abd al-Hamid Abu Hasna, a Hamas Nukhba operative who participated in the October 7 massacre and was involved in holding former hostage Omer Shem Tov in captivity. The strike occurred late last week in the northern Gaza Strip. Two other armed Hamas operatives were killed in a separate strike in the same area.
The IDF and Shin Bet on Monday confirmed the elimination of Saba'ai Zahir Abd al-Hamid Abu Hasna, a Hamas Nukhba operative who entered Israel during the October 7 massacre and was involved in holding former hostage Omer Shem Tov in captivity. The strike, carried out late last week in the northern Gaza Strip, also targeted Abu Hasna for his ongoing efforts to plant explosives and advance terrorist plots against IDF troops operating in the area, according to a joint IDF-Shin Bet statement. Footage of the strike was released by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
The announcement comes as the latest in a series of targeted strikes against Hamas operatives linked to hostage-holding roles — a development The Zioneer has tracked since last week. On June 20, the IDF confirmed the elimination of a Nukhba commander who participated in the abduction of Yagil Yaakov. Hours before Monday's confirmation, The Zioneer reported (June 21) that Abu Hasna was identified as the operative who forced Omer Shem Tov to kiss him during a release ceremony; that report, citing a security source, named Abu Hasna along with two other Hamas operatives — Ahmed Washah and Abd al-Rahman Abu Gharkud — eliminated in a previous strike. Monday's official confirmation upgrades the source from an unnamed security source to an on-record joint IDF-Shin Bet statement, adding the location (northern Gaza Strip) and noting that two other armed Hamas operatives were killed in a separate strike in the same area.
Also on Monday, the IDF reported that in a separate strike in the same northern Gaza area, three armed Hamas operatives who were attempting to advance terror plots against troops were killed. Details of that strike remain limited, with no names or affiliations released. Israeli forces deployed with the Southern Command remain on the ground in accordance with the ceasefire framework, as previously reported.
4 developments
- DevelopingIDF strike kills third Hamas operative tied to hostage holding, security source says
- StrongIDF confirms elimination of second Nukhba commander who abducted Yagil Yaakov on October 7
- DevelopingIDF eliminates senior Hamas commander involved in October 7 infiltration at Kisufim
- DevelopingIDF eliminates senior Hamas operative in southern Gaza
Source and signal
- Internal intake