The Israel Defense Forces said it killed a Hamas commander who infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, identified as a Nukhba Force cell commander, was eliminated in an airstrike in southern Gaza on Saturday, the military announced on Sunday.
In a separate strike in central Gaza on Friday, the IDF killed Muhammad Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, a commander in Hamas's al-Maghazi Battalion, which oversees the al-Maghazi camp and surrounding areas. "The terrorists posed a threat to the troops and were eliminated in precise aerial strikes in order to remove the threat," The IDF said.
The military also recently killed a Kataeb al-Mujahideen commander in southern Gaza involved in abducting Israeli hostages Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or on Oct. 7, and a Hamas commander who worked as a doctor at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital while holding Israeli civilian Romi Gonen captive and concealing the body of Cpl. Noa Marciano.
Directed by Israeli Security Agency intelligence, the IDF destroyed five Hamas weapons depots across Gaza in overnight strikes on Saturday. The sites contained Kalashnikov rifles, explosive devices, anti-tank missile launchers, ammunition and military equipment intended for attacks against troops and Israeli civilians near the ceasefire line. One depot adjacent to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah also served as a terrorist hideout. The IDF said it used advance warnings, precision munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce civilian harm.
Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon stated on Sunday that any Gaza plan must ensure Hamas is fully disarmed. "Disarmament is not transferring weapons from one warehouse to another," He said, emphasizing arms must be removed entirely so Hamas cannot "use them or even touch them." The Israeli Cabinet approved an International Stabilization Force's entry into Gaza as part of the agreement. Danon stressed that implementation must be judged "by what is happening on the ground, not what Hamas is saying."
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Board of Peace reached a disarmament agreement with Hamas. The pact will be implemented in phases as the IDF withdraws, with an International Stabilization Force and a new Palestinian police force providing security. Trump commended the 15-point roadmap released the previous day, calling disarming Hamas "a great breakthrough" And noting "Israel is very happy" With it, though he acknowledged the complexity of the situation.