The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that its forces have killed Mahmoud Fatair, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad Nukhba commander who infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, and participated in holding former hostage Rom Braslavski captive in Gaza. The IDF stated that Fatair was eliminated over the weekend in the Deir al-Balah area of central Gaza after recently attempting to advance attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.
According to the military, precautions were taken to minimize civilian harm, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance. Fatair was photographed in an Islamic Jihad uniform during a November 2023 hostage handover ceremony that included several other hostages. Braslavski, who was held captive, later posted a video message on X, referencing the October 7th date.
In separate operations, the IDF reported the elimination of other militant commanders. Abdallah Adnan Taha Abu al-Tayf, a Hamas Nukhba Force commander who allegedly infiltrated Israel during the October 7th assault and engaged in combat against Israeli soldiers, was killed in an airstrike in Deir al-Balah on Sunday. The strike was directed by the Israeli Security Agency, with measures taken to reduce harm to noncombatants.
Jalal Tsubeih, a commander in Hamas’s Daraj Tuffah Battalion, was also eliminated in a strike in Gaza City’s Shati area on Sunday. Additionally, the IDF stated it killed Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, identified as a Nukhba Force cell commander who infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7th massacre, in an airstrike in southern Gaza on Saturday.
Last week, the IDF reported killing a commander from the Kataeb al-Mujahideen terrorist group who was involved in the abduction of hostages Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or. The military also announced the death of a Hamas commander who allegedly operated as a doctor at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, held Israeli civilian Romi Gonen captive, and hid the body of Cpl. Noa Marciano after her murder.