A Hamas terrorist from the Shadow Unit who held Israeli hostages, and was forced by former hostage Omer Shem Tov to kiss him on the forehead, was killed in yesterday's IDF strike in the central Gaza Strip, according to a security source. The source identified the operative as Saba'ai Abu Hasna, along with two other Hamas operatives — Ahmed Washah and Abd al-Rahman Abu Gharkud — eliminated in the same strike.
An Israeli security source has now identified the third Hamas operative killed in yesterday's IDF airstrike in the central Gaza Strip as Saba'ai Abu Hasna, a member of the elite 'Shadow Unit' responsible for holding Israeli hostages. According to the source, Abu Hasna is the operative who forced former hostage Omer Shem Tov to kiss him on the forehead during the humiliating handover ceremony. The strike — which also eliminated Ahmed Washah, a Hamas sniper who worked as an Al Jazeera photojournalist, and Abd al-Rahman Abu Gharkud — was first reported by The Zioneer at 04:20 Jerusalem on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, initial unconfirmed reports from Abu Ali Express named Abu Hasna as the target, alongside a third operative. By 04:20 Jerusalem, The Zioneer had confirmed the elimination of Abu Hasna and a third operative, Abd al-Rahman Abu Gharkoud, citing an Israeli security source. The same source now provides a fuller identification of Abu Hasna's role in the hostage holding. The IDF itself confirmed on Saturday that Ahmed Washah, who was killed in the same airstrike, was a Hamas sniper operative operating under the cover of journalism.
As The Zioneer reported on Sunday [04:20 Jerusalem], an IDF strike on a home in the al-Bureij camp in central Gaza killed three operatives, including a 'Shadow Unit' member. A security source previously told The Zioneer on Saturday that three operatives — Saba'ai Abu Hasna, Ahmad Samir Washa (brother of the recently killed Al Jazeera journalist), and Abd al-Rahman Abu Jarqod — had been eliminated. Today's identification provides the specific role of Abu Hasna.
Neither the IDF nor any other official Israeli or Palestinian source has yet officially confirmed the elimination of Abu Hasna and Abu Gharkud. The identity of any additional operatives killed in the strike remains unconfirmed, pending an official IDF statement.
4 developments
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- DevelopingIDF eliminates senior Hamas operative in southern Gaza
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Source and signal
- Internal intake