The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that a Hamas operative involved in the October 7, 2023, attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz was killed in an airstrike in southern Gaza the previous day.
The military identified the deceased as Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, leader of a cell within Hamas's Nukhba Force. Abu Labad took part in the infiltration of Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and over 250 hostages taken, according to the IDF.
In a separate strike in central Gaza on Friday, Israeli forces killed Muhammad Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, described by the military as a Hamas commander in the Maghazi Battalion.
The IDF stated both men had been directing attacks against Israeli troops and were eliminated in what it characterized as precise aerial strikes "to remove the threat." The military said the operations were necessary to neutralize immediate dangers posed by the operatives, despite the ongoing ceasefire.