IDF, Shin Bet Kill Terrorist Seen Kidnapping Hostage on Oct. 7

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed the elimination of Sahir Nidal Lotfi Sakr, an operative involved in the October 7th abduction of Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or from the Nova music festival. Sakr was killed in an airstrike on Saturday, September 26, in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza, according to a joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet.

Sakr was prominently featured in widely circulated footage of the October 7th attacks, showing him driving a motorcycle as Noa Argamani was taken into Gaza. Avinatan Or was also abducted separately and taken to Gaza at the same time. Later footage showed Sakr with Argamani in Gaza, where she was held captive.

According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Sakr was linked to global jihad organizations operating in Gaza and supplied weapons to Hamas during the war. The "Gideonim 33" unit, part of the Israel Police's Lahav 433, participated in the operation to eliminate him. Security forces also stated that Sakr, along with militants from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, had been preparing attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, which they claim was done in "systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement."

The airstrike was intended to prevent imminent attacks planned by Sakr. Noa Argamani's abduction became a symbol of the October 7th massacre. She was rescued on June 8, 2024, along with Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, during Operation Arnon in Nuseirat. Argamani and the three men were held in separate locations. Avinatan Or was released on October 13, 2025, as part of a hostage deal.

Sakr is not the only operative linked to the abduction of Argamani and Or to be eliminated. In October 2025, the IDF and Shin Bet announced the killing of Ahmad Ibrahim Rajab Shaer, also identified as responsible for their abduction, and Ahmad Abu Marhil, who was involved in Or's kidnapping.