IDF kills Hamas commandos involved in Alexander Dancyg's October 7 kidnapping
The IDF announced that it had eliminated three members of Hamas' elite Nukhba force in separate airstrikes across the Gaza Strip last week, including an operative accused of participating in the October 7, 2023, abductions of Israeli civilians. Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed Baraka was eliminated Thursday in an airstrike in southern Gaza, according to the IDF. The military identified Baraka as a member of Hamas' Nukhba force, the elite unit that played a central role in the October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
According to the IDF, Baraka was among the Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest hit in the attack, and participated in the kidnapping of several Israeli civilians, including Alexander Dancyg, a Holocaust educator who was abducted from his home and later died in Hamas captivity. The IDF said Baraka also helped hold several Israeli hostages in southern Gaza during the war, including Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier abducted on October 7.
In a separate airstrike Friday in northern Gaza, Israeli forces eliminated two other Hamas operatives: Omar Awadallah, identified as a Nukhba platoon commander, and Moataz Mahmoud Mohammed Al-Nimr, also a member of the elite force. The IDF said all three men had been involved in planning attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, particularly in recent days, while working to rebuild Hamas' military capabilities. The army described their activities as violations of the ceasefire agreement and said the strikes were intended to eliminate threats posed by the operatives.
Before carrying out the strikes, the IDF took measures to minimize harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance. Israeli forces remain deployed in parts of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. The IDF said its troops would continue operations against what it considers security threats.
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