Israeli forces kill Hamas Nukhba operative who held Omri Shera?

In a joint operation, the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet killed Sabaaei Zaheer Abd al-Hamid Abu Hasna in northern Gaza over the weekend, on Saturday. He was described by the security establishment as a senior Nukhba operative in Hamas’s military wing and as someone directly involved in crimes against Israeli civilians from the first day of the war.

Intelligence findings say Abu Hasna took part in the October 7 attack inside Israel and later played a central role in holding Israeli civilian Omer Shem Tov captive in Gaza. During the months of fighting, he continued intensive terror activity, including planting explosive devices against Israeli forces. More recently, he tried to advance complex attack plans aimed at soldiers operating in the sector.

At the same time, Israeli Air Force aircraft struck another target in northern Gaza after identifying an armed terror cell. That strike killed three armed Hamas operatives, who were reportedly preparing immediate attacks against IDF forces on the ground.

The IDF and Shin Bet said Southern Command forces remain deployed across the Gaza Strip in line with existing political and security arrangements. They added that operational freedom of action is being preserved and that the forces will continue acting forcefully to remove threats and prevent attempts to harm Israel’s security.