The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) killed a Hamas Nukhba terrorist identified by the military as a bodyguard of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in a strike in the Khan Yunis area on Monday, the agencies announced on Thursday.
Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, infiltration of the IDF’s Re’im base, according to the statement.
In a separate strike in Khan Yunis on Sunday, the IDF killed Hazem Mousa, another Hamas Nukhba terrorist who the military said also infiltrated the base during the massacre. The IDF and Shin Bet said both men had been planning attacks on Israeli troops and civilians and working to rebuild Hamas’s “military” capabilities, in violation of the ceasefire.
On Monday, the IDF also targeted two Hamas terrorists in central Gaza who it said participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, confirming that Nukhba Force member Mohammad Abu Asaad was killed in Deir al-Balah. The military said they too had been planning attacks and rebuilding Hamas’s capabilities.
Also on Monday, the IDF and Shin Bet struck five Hamas weapons-storage facilities and a launch site across the Gaza Strip, including sites inside mosques and near humanitarian infrastructure. After the IDF said it had uncovered dozens of Kalashnikov rifles hidden inside Gaza mosques, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter accused Hamas of failing to disarm: “This is not disarmament.”
Israel has also responded to renewed kite launches from Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the IDF to adopt a “zero-tolerance” policy toward kites and balloons launched from Gaza into communities in the Negev. Netanyahu and Katz warned Hamas that continued launches would lead to intensified strikes against those responsible and evacuations from areas used as launch sites.
The developments came as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed during a visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that Israel would prevent Hamas from rebuilding and continue pursuing those responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre. “The IDF will not return to the doctrines that prevailed on Oct. 6,” he said.
“The pursuit of the terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre continues—everyone who took part in the massacre will live on the run until they are eliminated,” Zamir added.
He described the effort as a long-term mission and said the IDF remained committed to demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and disarming Hamas.
