The Israeli Air Force on Thursday killed Muhammad Suleiman Byouk, a commander in Hamas’s “military” wing, in a strike in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, the IDF said yesterday.
The terrorist infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre, and throughout the ensuing war he planted explosive devices across the Strip to harm IDF troops, according to the statement, whihc also claimed he advanced terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians while working to rehabilitate Hamas in systematic violation of the ceasefire.
Before the strike, measures were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
The IDF on Saturday also announced that the commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, Nael Abu Obeid, who was killed in a strike in southern Gaza on Tuesday, was involved in the abduction and holding of IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians for years, including during the war.
The military said a review of intelligence confirmed that Abu Obeid took part in 2014 in the holding of late IDF Lt Hadar Goldin, an officer in the Givati Infantry Brigade whose body was returned to Israel only last year.
Abu Obeid also helped hold several hostages, including Sgt 1st Class Nimrod Cohen, inside a major tunnel system in the Rafah area.
“Abu Obeid was a key figure among Hamas’s senior leadership,” the IDF said following the strike. “He was responsible for managing the activities of the brigade’s terrorists and directing them to advance and carry out terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops and to restore the brigade’s force buildup.”
On September 10, the IDF killed Muhammad Yazouri, commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, in a strike in southern Gaza.
Yazouri was appointed to the position after serving in several senior roles in the brigade, including deputy commander, commander of the Combat Support Battalion and head of its Intelligence Department.
In recent months, he worked to advance dozens of attacks on IDF troops and sought to rebuild the brigade’s capabilities after it suffered significant damage during the war, the statement said.
Also killed in the strike were Hudheifa Muammar, a company commander, and Muhammad Bahjat Rashi, another terrorist serving in the Khan Yunis Brigade.
More recently, the IDF said on Tuesday it had eliminated in the Khan Yunis area a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell commander who infiltrated the Kibbutz Kissufim area during the cross-border Hamas-led invasion into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
It named the terrorist as Mohsen Farid Said Abu Hadaf, a rocket cell commander who was targeted over the weekend.
In addition, the IDF together with the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) overnight Monday struck and killed in the northern Gaza Strip the terrorist Ahmad Batash, commander of the Jabalia Battalion of Hamas’s “military” wing, the security bodies said.
As part of his role, the terrorist was responsible for managing and organising the Northern Gaza Brigade’s weapons and coordinated and facilitated the supply of weapons and military equipment to Hamas operatives, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.
US President Donald Trump last week reiterated his belief that Hamas is willing to give up its weapons under his peace plan for the Gaza Strip.
“We got the hostages back,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “You know, people forget there’s not a lot of fighting in Gaza. Hamas is now willing to give up their weapons.”
The president credited US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US Special Envoy for Peace Missions Jared Kushner for “their ability to close the deal.”
Kushner said on Sept. 6 that Washington was only beginning to understand what is required to demilitarise the Palestinian enclave, calling it “beyond your comprehension.”
“Demilitarising it is not going to be easy,” Kushner said at a press conference in Kyiv, where he appeared alongside Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The United States worked with Hamas for more than four months, he said, resulting in the terrorist group committing to lay down its weapons. “You can’t go in if there’s guns, right?” Kushner said. “You can’t send the government into a place.”
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