Israeli forces eliminate seven militants in Gaza, including senior Hamas operative

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency reported that a series of strikes in the Gaza Strip this week resulted in the deaths of seven militants. Among those killed was Gamal Abu Said, a senior Hamas figure who previously held hostage Omar Shem Tov in Gaza and oversaw training of operatives outside the territory, commanded an anti-tank battalion and managed military specializations for the Central Camps Brigade.

Two strikes on Monday in the Khan Yunis area targeted Mahmoud Jihad Mohammad Qafa, identified as the head of a Hamas sniper cell, and Asaad Suleiman Salman Qashta, a member of Jaish al-Islam. On Sunday, the same region saw the deaths of three Hamas militants—Mohammad Zakaria Al-Jamal, Shaher Mohammad Zaarab and Mohammad Amin Al-Namas—and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad sniper, Mohammad Ali Abu Shaar. Al-Jamal led a Hamas cell, while Zaarab served as a Nukhba company commander.

In a separate weekend operation, the IDF said it killed four Hamas militants, including Muhammad Kamel Masleh Qadih, who infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and coordinated training for Hamas’s Nukhba forces. Another strike in the Nuseirat area eliminated Diaa Abd al-Mohsen Muhammad Abu al-Rous, also described as a Nukhba operative.