The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday identified 12 individuals killed during the war in Gaza as members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stating that many had been publicly presented only as soccer players or coaches.
"Following an intelligence investigation, it is now possible to reveal the terrorists' organizational affiliation and their roles, despite the fact that in many cases they were presented to the world solely as soccer players, without any mention of their affiliation with terror organizations," The IDF said.
The military said some information came from open sources, though all individuals listed were confirmed by the IDF as terror operatives. Several participated in the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
The identified individuals included Mohammed Barakat, a soccer player and Palestinian Islamic Jihad member who invaded Israel on October 7; Mahmoud Kamal Mohammed Ali Al-Rifi, a soccer player and company commander in Hamas's aerial array; and Mohammed Mansour, a football player and coach who served as deputy commander in Hamas's Nuseirat Battalion and invaded Israel on October 7.
Others included Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu al-Atta, a soccer player and platoon commander in Islamic Jihad; Abdullah Riyad Abdullah Khattab, a soccer player and Islamic Jihad member; and Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab, a FIFA international referee and Islamic Jihad member in central Gaza.
Additional names were Ali Mahmoud Ahmed al-Kurd, a soccer player and coach serving as platoon commander in Islamic Jihad in Rafah; Mohammed Imad Atta Hassoun, a soccer player and Hamas member who invaded Israel on October 7; Tarek Ziad Hussein al-Hour, a soccer player in Hamas's military wing; Mohammed Ziad Hussein al-Hour, a soccer player and platoon commander in Hamas's military wing in Nuseirat; Mahmoud Osama al-Jazzar, a soccer player and Islamic Jihad operative; and Mohammed Nidal Mohammed al-Hawajri, a soccer player and commander in Hamas's military wing in Nuseirat.
The IDF characterized the disclosures as a response to what it described as a "false campaign" Portraying the military as deliberately targeting members of the soccer community. The military said such efforts reflect a broader pattern where eliminated terrorists were presented as journalists, humanitarian workers or other civilians while their terror affiliations were withheld.
"In those campaigns, Palestinian terrorists struck and eliminated by the IDF were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers, and other civilian professionals, while their involvement in terrorist activity was deliberately concealed to promote false claims that they had been targeted because of their civilian professions," The military said.