IDF says it killed commander linked to October 7 attack in Gaza PHOTO

The Israeli military said on July 31 it had killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Kataib al-Mujahideen in an air strike in southern Gaza earlier this week.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) identified the militant as Ahmed Hussein Mohammed Kafina, whom it described as the commander of the group's Central Camps sector.

The military said Kafina took part in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, leading militants during the cross-border assault. It also accused him of involvement in the abduction of Israeli hostages Avinatan Or and Noa Argamani during the attack on the Nova music festival, as well as the kidnapping of Thai national Sudisak Rinthalak from Kibbutz Be'eri.

According to the IDF, Kafina continued to organise attacks against Israeli forces and civilians throughout the war and, most recently, posed an immediate threat to Israeli troops.

The military said he was killed in what it described as a precision air strike.

The IDF added that Southern Command forces remain deployed in the area in accordance with existing agreements and would continue operations to eliminate threats.

By Aghakazim Guliyev