Overview
- The Israel Defense Forces announced that Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander in Hamas’s Nukhba unit, was killed in an airstrike in the central Gaza Strip, according to the military.
- The IDF said Ramadan took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 abduction of four Israelis from a roadside bomb shelter near Re'im and continued to plan attacks against Israeli forces and civilians in recent weeks.
- The military said it used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce the risk to civilians and released no additional operational details about the strike.
- IDF Southern Command forces remain deployed in the area, and the military said they will continue operations to neutralize ongoing threats.
- The announcement follows the long Israeli campaign to target Hamas leadership linked to the Oct. 7 attacks and comes as outlets reporting the IDF statement noted the varied fates of the four abducted Israelis, including one who was later killed in captivity and others who were held for long periods before release.