IDF Eliminates Nir Oz Attacker Responsible for Nukhba Readiness
The IDF said on November 2 that it eliminated two Hamas Nukhba terrorists in separate strikes on Saturday. One had entered Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre and was responsible for Nukhba operational readiness.
Muhammad Kamel Masleh Qadih was eliminated in the Khan Younis area, according to the military's Monday announcement. A separate strike in Nuseirat eliminated Diaa Abd al-Mohsen Muhammad Abu al-Rous, whom the IDF also identified as a member of Hamas's Nukhba force.
Both strikes took place on October 31. Monday's announcement identified the terrorists and their roles, adding new details to the IDF's campaign against Hamas personnel linked to the October 7 attack.
The Nir Oz Connection
The IDF identified Qadih as a participant in the infiltration of Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. It also assigned him a continuing role within Hamas: responsibility for the operational readiness of Nukhba terrorists.
Nir Oz is an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza border, one of the communities attacked during the Hamas massacre. The Nukhba force is Hamas's elite assault formation, whose members took part in the attacks on Israeli communities and military positions.
The US State Department's terrorism review for 2023 describes Hamas as an organization established in 1987 from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. It identifies the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades as its armed element. The American foreign terrorist organization designation dates to October 8, 1997, years before the assault on Nir Oz.
That State Department review also identifies Iran as a source of funding, weapons and training for Hamas. It describes fundraising in Gulf countries and donations from Palestinians, expatriates and the organization's own charitable networks.
The military's identification links Qadih to the attack on the kibbutz and to the preparation of Hamas personnel afterward.
A Separate Strike in Nuseirat
Abu al-Rous was eliminated in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, rather than in the Khan Younis strike. The IDF described him as a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas's military wing.
The military said the two had recently advanced attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers and worked to restore Hamas's capabilities. It characterized that activity as a systematic violation of the ceasefire and said the strikes were intended to remove the threat they posed.
Israel National News, carrying the military statement, said the measures taken before the strikes included precision munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce harm to civilians. The account did not announce a new ground operation associated with either strike.
Four More Terrorists Named Separately
A later entry in the IDF's November 2 operational diary named four other Hamas terrorists eliminated in northern Gaza. The diary separates the dates: Nabil Hamad and Muhannad Nader Mahmoud Dahdouh were eliminated in strikes on October 31; Wael Naif Fahmi Muslim and Arafat Kamal Muhammad Ar'air were eliminated on October 22.
The IDF described Hamad as a department head in Hamas's recruitment apparatus and Dahdouh as a sniper commander. It identified Muslim as another Nukhba terrorist who entered Israel on October 7 and Ar'air as a squad commander in Hamas's rocket apparatus.
These are separate cases from Qadih and Abu al-Rous, not six people eliminated in a single strike.
Targeting Hamas's Ability to Rebuild
The roles listed by the military span recruitment, sniper activity, rockets and the readiness of assault personnel. That adds a personnel dimension to the wider effort against Hamas's financing network.
The IDF said the terrorists had promoted attacks during the war and, particularly recently, worked to restore Hamas's capabilities. Israeli forces under Southern Command remain deployed in their operational areas under the agreement, Israel National News reported from the military statement.
