In a decisive move on Friday, Israeli forces neutralized a militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who had penetrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the turmoil of October 7, 2023. The militant, identified as Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa, was implicated in the kidnapping of Israeli civilian Yagil Yaakov.
The operation to eliminate Abu Mustafa was a concerted effort between the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency and took place in the southern region of the Gaza Strip, as confirmed by the IDF on Sunday.
Recognized as a Nukhba commander within the Khan Yunis Brigade of PIJ, Abu Mustafa had been categorized as an imminent threat to Israeli military personnel stationed in the area, according to statements released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Abu Mustafa had been instrumental in the revival of PIJ’s military capacities in Gaza, an act that violated existing ceasefire agreements, stated the military. His activities included orchestrating multiple attacks against IDF soldiers and using Nasser Hospital as a platform for training terrorists, thus exploiting the facility for nefarious purposes.
Further evidence of his involvement, an image captured by Israeli forces, showed Abu Mustafa operating within Israeli borders during the abduction of Yaakov. This visual confirmation added to the dossier of threats associated with his activities.
The Israeli teenager spent 52 days in Gaza captivity before being released in November 2023. His father, Yair, was murdered on Oct. 7 and his body recovered from Gaza by the IDF.
In an additional strike, the IDF said it killed Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish, described as a Hamas Nukhba operative involved in training and recruiting terrorists.
In a statement on Monday, the IDF said that on Saturday its forces in Gaza killed two Hamas terrorists.
One of the terrorists was identified as Ahmad Munir Khalil Zaza, an engineering officer in Hamas’s West Jabalia Battalion. He was involved in weapons production and the construction of explosive devices, and had recently attempted to plant explosives near Israeli forces, according to the IDF.
The other terrorist, killed in a separate strike, was identified by the IDF as Hussein Safadi, who it described as commander of Hamas’s sniper array in Gaza City, who had directed attacks on Israeli troops and was recently involved in training snipers despite the ceasefire.
Israeli forces remain deployed in Gaza under the Southern Command and will continue to act against immediate threats, the IDF said.