Farah Hamad
Farah Hamad was a senior operative in the Hamas military wing and a key figure in the organization's "West Bank Headquarters." A convicted terrorist released in the 2011 Shalit exchange, he was eliminated by the IDF in Gaza City in September 2026.
Farah Hamad (43) was a veteran operative within the Hamas military wing, specifically serving as a senior member of the organization's "West Bank Headquarters." This specialized unit is tasked with orchestrating, funding, and directing terror activities within Judea and Samaria from the safety of the Gaza Strip. Hamad's history of lethal activity dates back to the Second Intifada, where he was a prominent member of the notorious "Silwad cell" based in the Ramallah sector. This cell was responsible for numerous high-profile attacks against Israeli targets, most notably the October 2003 ambush near Ein Yabroud that resulted in the deaths of three IDF soldiers from the Duchifat Battalion. Hamad was also identified as the murderer of Shuli Har-Melech, the husband of current Israeli public figure Limor Son Har-Melech.
Following his capture for these crimes, Hamad was sentenced to three life terms in an Israeli prison. However, he was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and subsequently deported to the Gaza Strip. Rather than abandoning his militant path, Hamad leveraged his position in Gaza to continue managing terror infrastructure in his native Judea and Samaria. On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the IDF successfully closed a decades-long pursuit by targeting Hamad in a precision strike while he was traveling on a motorcycle along Al-Rashid Street in western Gaza City. His elimination represents a significant blow to Hamas's ability to remotely command operational cells in Judea and Samaria, disrupting the link between the Gaza-based leadership and field operatives in the Ramallah area.