Israel says Gaza strikes killed seven terror operatives, including Hamas commander who held hostage

Seven Palestinian terror operatives were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip earlier this week, including a senior Hamas commander who held an Israeli hostage during the war, the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency announced on Wednesday.

A strike on Sunday in Gaza City killed Jamal Abu Saeed, who the two agencies identified as the chief of operations in Hamas's military intelligence arm. In a joint statement, they said: "During the war, Abu Saeed held Omer Shem Tov captive on behalf of Hamas."

Shem Tov was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023, attack and was brought back to Israel on February 22, 2025, under a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

According to the military, Abu Saeed held a series of senior positions within Hamas over the years. He oversaw the training of Hamas operatives outside the Gaza Strip, commanded an anti-tank battalion and was "responsible for military specialization in Hamas's Central Brigade." The IDF added that he was also "responsible for Hamas's relations with various countries" and "served as a significant source of knowledge for the terror organization."

In a separate strike on Sunday in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, four members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were killed. The IDF and Shin Bet named them as Mohammad Zakaria Al-Jamal, a Hamas cell commander; Mohammad Amin Al-Namas, a Hamas operative; Shaher Mohammad Zaarab, a company commander in Hamas's elite Nukhba Force; and Mohammad Ali Abu Shaar, a sniper operative in Islamic Jihad.

Two more operatives were killed in separate strikes in Khan Younis on Monday, the military said. They were identified as Mahmoud Jihad Mohammad Qafa, the commander of a Hamas sniper cell, and Asaad Suleiman Salman Qashta, a member of the Army of Islam faction who, according to the IDF, "facilitated smuggling into the Gaza Strip."

The IDF said all seven operatives had recently been advancing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and had worked to rebuild the capabilities of their respective terror groups, acting "in systematic violation of the ceasefire."

Israel has stepped up its targeting of operatives in Gaza in recent months, including numerous terrorists who took part in the Hamas-led October 7 invasion and massacre, arguing that they posed a threat to its forces. The military says many of the recent strikes have focused on Hamas members involved in restoring the group's fighting force and its mechanisms of civil control in the Strip.

The strikes come as implementation of US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza has stalled. Hamas has refused to disarm, while Israel has refused to withdraw from any part of the territory until that condition is met.