IDF Kills Hamas Commander Involved in Kibbutz Be'eri Family Abductions

The Israeli military (IDF) announced Thursday the elimination of two Palestinian militants who participated in the October 7th Hamas-led attack on Israel. The more senior of the two identified by the IDF as a squad commander in Hamas's military wing, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City on Tuesday. These six family members were held captive for 50 days before being released in November 2023 during the second phase of the hostage deal.

The IDF stated that Abu Al-Sha'ar did not cease his activities after October 7th. In recent times, he continued to advance terror plans against IDF forces and Israeli civilians, systematically violating the ceasefire. Due to the threat he posed, he was targeted in the airstrike. The military also reported that on the same day, it conducted another airstrike in the Jabalya area, eliminating Mazaab Abdeljalil Sakher Balbisi, identified as a commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's military wing. Balbisi was also among the militants who infiltrated Israel on October 7th and had also been actively promoting terror plans against Israeli forces and civilians.

The IDF emphasized that both militants were eliminated from the air to neutralize the threat they represented. Prior to the strikes, the military claimed that measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance. They were hiding in a safe room when terrorists set the house on fire and forced them out. Shoshan Haran later recounted seeing terrorists in control of the kibbutz. The family members were held in Gaza for 50 days and released on November 25, 2023.