IDF slays three Hamas commanders, two of whom invaded Israel on Oct. 7

This week, Israel facilitated the departure of 214 Gaza residents, along with their escorts, through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces killed three Hamas commanders in separate airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 25-26, including two who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel, the military stated on Wednesday.

Anas Akram Muhammad Humaida, a commander in Hamas’s elite Nukhba force who infiltrated the Sufa military outpost on Oct. 7, was killed Sunday near Khan Yunis, according to the IDF.

Ashraf Mahmoud Yusuf Dahlan, a company commander in Hamas’s East Jabalia Battalion who also infiltrated Israel during the massacre, was killed the same day in Gaza City.

Mahmoud Othman Abdullah Alwan, a Nukhba commander in the West Jabalia Battalion, was killed Monday in Gaza City.

The IDF said the terrorists had been planning attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and working to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities in violation of the ceasefire.

Prior to the strikes, measures were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance, the army added.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the IDF said it killed three Hamas Nukhba Force terrorists in airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Oct. 22 and 23, including one who participated in the abduction of Israeli civilians during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed Baraka, killed in southern Gaza on Thursday, took part in the abduction of several Israelis, including Alexander Dancyg from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and later helped hold hostages, including Nimrod Cohen, according to the IDF.

Two other terrorists, Nukhba platoon commander Omar Awadallah and Moataz Mahmoud Mohammed Al-Nimr, were killed in northern Gaza on Friday.

COGAT: 214 Gazans leave for third countries

Israel facilitated the departure of 214 Gaza residents, along with their escorts, through the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Monday for evacuation to third countries via Jordan, the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said on Wednesday.

The operation was part of weekly humanitarian evacuations coordinated with international partners.

Since October 2023, Israel has facilitated the departure of more than 52,000 Gaza residents for medical treatment and other purposes, according to COGAT.

Meanwhile, an IDF reservist was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of captagon into the Gaza Strip, the military, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Captagon is an amphetamine-type stimulant that has been reported to have been used by ISIS and Hamas terrorists, including during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

The suspect, a man in his 30s from the southern Bedouin town of Tel Sheva, was detained in the Strip while in an IDF patrol vehicle, according to the statement.

Forces found a bag containing about 10 kilograms of a substance suspected to be captagon, allegedly meant for smuggling.

The Beersheva Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday granted a police request and extended the suspect’s remand until Thursday, Oct. 29, the statement said.