Hamas fighter behind October 7 abductions killed in Gaza, Israel says

The Israel Defenсe Forces (IDF) said a Hamas operative who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack and the abduction of the bodies of an Israeli commander and two soldiers was killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip.

According to the IDF, the strike in southern Gaza killed Hussam Shafai, a member of Hamas' East Khan Younis Battalion.

The military said Shafai took part in the raid on Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, where Colonel Asaf Hamami, commander of the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade, and two of his soldiers — Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas and Sergeant Kiril Brodski — were killed while fighting Hamas militants.

The IDF said Shafai was involved in the abduction of their bodies following the attack.

The military added that during the war and in recent months, Shafai had advanced attacks against Israeli forces and "posed a threat to our forces operating in the Gaza Strip."

The IDF said Hamas returned Hamami's body in November 2025 as part of a hostage agreement, while the bodies of Ahimas and Brodski were recovered during Israeli military operations in Gaza in 2024.

By Vafa Guliyeva