IDF Says Three Hamas Commanders Linked to October 7 Were Killed in Gaza Strikes

The military announced the operations on October 16, identifying a Nukhba cell commander and two other Hamas operatives. The strikes took place on October 14 and 15.

The IDF said on October 16 that it had killed three Hamas commanders in separate strikes in Gaza, identifying them as participants in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Its announcements described operations in both the northern and southern parts of the territory.

Nukhba commander identified

In an afternoon statement, the military named Maher Walid Omar al Husseini as the head of a Nukhba cell involved in the attack on the Re’im military base. It said he was killed in a strike in southern Gaza on October 14.

The IDF described al Husseini as involved in preparations for attacks against Israeli troops during the war. It said the operation was intended to remove a threat. The account of his role and activities came from the military, which announced the strike two days after it took place.

Two other strikes announced

Earlier on October 16, the IDF identified Mohammed Mohammed Abd al Khalek Hala as a Hamas commander involved in weapons production. It said he had entered Israel during the October 7 attack and was killed in northern Gaza on October 15.

The same announcement named Ahmad Jabrin Tawfiq Dalhan as another Hamas commander who participated in the October 7 assault. The military said he was killed in the Khan Younis area on October 15. These were separate operations from the strike against al Husseini in southern Gaza the previous day.

Why Re’im appears in the account

The Re’im base housed the Gaza Division headquarters, responsible for defending the surrounding area in southern Israel. Hamas attackers tried to capture it during the October 7 assault, when Israeli communities and military positions came under attack.

A military investigation previously described how troops prevented the base from being overrun. Four soldiers were killed and seven were wounded in its defence, according to the findings covered by The Times of Israel. The fighting at the headquarters forms the background to the IDF’s identification of al Husseini as a participant in that attack.

According to the military inquiry, around 60 Hamas terrorists reached the base area. About 30 blocked the entrance junction while another 30 entered the facility. The investigators said their objective was to disrupt the division’s command and control systems and kill or abduct people inside. Israeli forces killed at least 10 attackers in the area, the inquiry found.

The military’s stated purpose

The IDF said the operatives had been involved in efforts to rebuild Hamas capabilities and prepare attacks against Israeli soldiers or civilians. It described those activities as violations of the ceasefire and presented the strikes as action to remove continuing threats.

The military published the two announcements in its running operational updates on October 16: the account naming Hala and Dalhan in the morning, followed by the statement about al Husseini in the afternoon. The operational dates given in those updates were October 14 and 15, distinct from the day the names were released publicly.