The military announced Saturday that it killed Muhannad Asaad Mahmoud Abu Ghazal, a commander of a Nukhba Force cell who raided the Kissufim area on October 7, 2023, in a strike on Monday. Separate strikes on Tuesday killed Raed Hani Mohammed, a Hamas aerial surveillance operative, and Nabhan Mohammed Nabhan al-Amsi, the chief of intelligence in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade, the IDF said.
The Israel Defense Forces disclosed Saturday evening the details of precision strikes earlier this week that killed three senior Hamas operatives, including a Nukhba cell commander who led the October 7, 2023, infiltration of the Kissufim area. The military’s announcement, first published at 20:56 Jerusalem, was refined in subsequent updates as more specific information on the operatives’ identities and roles emerged.
According to the IDF, a Monday strike in central Gaza killed Muhannad Asaad Mahmoud Abu Ghazal, the commander of the Nukhba cell that raided the Kissufim area during the October 7 massacre. A separate Tuesday strike in northern Gaza killed Raed Hani Mohammed, described as an aerial surveillance operative in Hamas’s aerial unit, and Nabhan Mohammed Nabhan al-Amsi, the intelligence chief of Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade. The military said all three were actively advancing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.
The identification of Abu Ghazal continues a pattern of Israeli operations targeting Nukhba commanders who participated in the October 7 onslaught, as The Zioneer has previously reported. Background reports from the desk include the recent elimination of other Nukhba cell leaders, including Ali Qaid Mohammed Stitan of Islamic Jihad and Sakr Abu Karim, among others, underscoring the sustained campaign against the unit.
The IDF did not disclose the precise locations or means of the strikes, but described them as based on precise intelligence. The announcement came days after the operations, and no independent verification was provided. The military has reiterated its commitment to eliminating all Nukhba terrorists involved in the October 7 attack.
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