A Hamas commander who took part in the October 7 massacre and appeared at a hostage release ceremony has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the IDF confirmed.
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
A Hamas terrorist who invaded Israel on October 7th and stood onstage during the release ceremony of Israeli hostages was killed in an IDF airstrike two weeks ago, the Israeli military said in a statement on Monday.
Hamza Wael Muhammad Asafah, who was a member of Hamas’ elite Nukhba forces, served as a commander of the terror organization’s Deir al-Balah Battalion.
According to the IDF, Asafah was assassinated in an Israeli air strike, which was carried out in coordination with support from the Shin Bet intelligence agency.
The strike occurred in early April, but the IDF was only able to confirm Asafah’s demise in recent hours.
“As part of his role in the terrorist organization, Asafah participated in the cynical hostage release ceremony of the [freed] Israeli hostages Eliyahu [Eli] Sharabi, Ohad Ben-Ami, and Or Levy,” the military said.
The IDF stressed that it had taken measures to avoid harming civilians during the strike, but noted that Asafah had been hiding among Gazan residents.
“The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure and brutally exploiting the civilian population as human shields for its terrorist activities,” the army added.
On October 7th, 2023, some 6,000 Gazans invaded Israel at some 119 points along the border fence.
Approximately 3,800 of those Gazans were members of Hamas’ Nukhba forces. Another 2,200 who invaded that day included armed Gazans, who weren’t directly affiliated with Hamas or another specific terror group.
Both Nukhba forces and other Gazans perpetrated atrocities on the bloodiest day in Israeli history, including the slaughter of babies, children, and the elderly, rape, mutilation, torture, and kidnapping.
Hamas has often attempted to distance itself from the brutal acts of that day by claiming they were committed by Gazans who were not members of the terror group.
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