Ali Shamlakh
Ali Shamlakh was a deputy company commander in Hamas's elite Nukhba force, responsible for training operatives and planning attacks in northern Gaza until his elimination by the IDF in July 2026.
Ali Shamlakh was a mid-level field commander within the Nukhba force, the elite commando unit of the Hamas terror organization. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shamlakh served as a deputy company commander, a role that placed him at the center of the group's tactical operations and personnel development in the northern Gaza Strip. His responsibilities included the professional training of new operatives and the advancement of specific terror plots aimed at both Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the region.
On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, the IDF announced that Shamlakh was eliminated in a precision strike in northern Gaza. The operation also targeted and killed Nasser Louh, a Nukhba cell commander. The strike was part of the IDF's ongoing effort to dismantle the command structure of the Nukhba force, which led the October 7 massacre and continues to serve as the primary offensive arm of Hamas. Shamlakh's role in training suggests he was a key figure in maintaining the operational readiness of Hamas's remaining guerrilla cells in the northern sector, where the IDF has maintained high-intensity pressure to prevent the organization from reconstituting its military capabilities. His elimination is viewed by Israeli security officials as a tactical success in degrading the localized leadership of Hamas's elite units.