Israel's military announced on Wednesday that airstrikes in Gaza over the past week killed six men it identified as members of Hamas's elite Nukhba force, including a man it accused of taking part in the abduction of Israeli civilians from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023 attack. The announcement is the Israeli military's account; there was no response from Hamas in the reports available, and the deaths and the roles attributed to the men have not been independently confirmed.
Source: The Times of Israel via Israel.com
In its first announcement, the military named three men. It said a strike in southern Gaza last Thursday killed Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Baraka, whom it described as a Nukhba member who entered Nir Oz, took part in abducting several civilians including Alexander Dancyg, and later helped hold hostages in southern Gaza, including soldier Nimrod Cohen.
Source: United With Israel, reporting the IDF announcement
The military said a separate strike in northern Gaza last Friday killed Omar Awadallah, whom it described as a Nukhba platoon commander, and Moataz Mahmoud Mohammed al-Nimr, whom it described as a Nukhba member.
A later military update on Wednesday expanded the list to six. It said a strike on Sunday in the Khan Yunis area killed Anas Akram Muhammad Humaida, described as a Nukhba commander who entered the Sufa outpost on October 7; a strike on Sunday in Gaza City killed Ashraf Mahmoud Yusuf Dahlan, described as a company commander in Hamas's East Jabalia Battalion; and a strike on Monday in Gaza City killed Mahmoud Othman Abdullah Alwan, described as a Nukhba commander in the West Jabalia Battalion.
Source: Israel Realtime, reporting the IDF update
The Israeli military said the six had advanced attacks against Israeli troops and civilians during the war and in recent days, and had worked to rebuild Hamas's military capabilities, which it called a systematic violation of the ceasefire. It said the strikes were carried out to remove the threat the men posed. Those are the military's claims, presented here as claims, not as independently verified facts.
What is solid
- The Israeli military publicly announced the names on Wednesday, October 28, and gave the strike days and areas listed above.
- All of the reports available rely on the Israeli military's statement.
What is only claimed
- The roles, abduction involvement and hostage-holding attributed to each man are the Israeli military's allegations and have not been independently confirmed.
- Hamas had not responded in the reports available, and no independent confirmation of the deaths was offered.
The announcements came as Israeli forces continued to operate in Gaza under the ceasefire framework, including around the Yellow Line that marks the area under Israeli military control under the agreement, according to the military's own reporting of its activity this week.