IDF Kills Father of 2022 Tel Aviv Attacker and Hamas Commander Holding Hostages

Israeli paratroopers killed Fathi Hazem in Jenin overnight after he attempted to stab them during an arrest operation. Hazem is the father of Ra'ad Hazem, who carried out the deadly 2022 shooting attack at the Ilka bar on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, which killed three people. The soldiers from the 890th Paratroopers Battalion entered a house to arrest suspects when Fathi Hazem lunged at them with a knife. He was shot and killed, with no Israeli casualties reported.

Separately, on Wednesday in the Nuseirat area of the Gaza Strip, the IDF killed Tzabahi Sami Mahmoud Shehata, a Hamas military commander involved in holding numerous Israeli hostages since the October 7 attacks. Shehata participated in the November 2023 transfer ceremony of hostages to the Red Cross as part of Operation Sky Gates. He had also attempted to orchestrate terror attacks against Israeli forces and civilians recently. The IDF stated that these operations aim to neutralize immediate threats and maintain security in the region.

The 2022 Ilka bar attack by Ra'ad Hazem resulted in the deaths of childhood friends Tomer Mordehai and Itamar Magini from Kfar Saba, as well as Barak Lufen, an Israeli kayaking coach and father of three, who died from his wounds the following day. The IDF continues to operate in the south and Gaza areas to counter ongoing threats and uphold security agreements.