The IDF announced Thursday that a Monday strike in Khan Younis eliminated Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil, a Hamas Nukhba operative who infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, and took part in the killing of Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg. The military said Qandil was recently advancing terror plots and rebuilding Hamas's capabilities in systematic violation of the ceasefire.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Thursday that it eliminated Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil, a Hamas Nukhba Force operative, in a precision strike in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip earlier this week. According to the IDF Spokesperson's announcement, Qandil was among the terrorists who infiltrated Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, and participated in the killing of Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg. The military stated that in recent months, Qandil was actively involved in advancing terror plots against Israeli forces and civilians, and worked to reconstitute Hamas's military capabilities — activities the IDF described as systematic violations of the ceasefire in effect in the Strip.
The elimination is the latest in a series of targeted operations against Nukhba operatives who took part in the October 7 attacks and later resumed militant activity. As The Zioneer has reported in its ongoing coverage of these operations, the IDF has maintained a policy of striking individuals involved in rebuilding terror infrastructure or planning imminent attacks, even within the ceasefire framework. The IDF's Southern Command confirmed that forces remain deployed in accordance with the agreement and continue to remove any immediate threats.
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