Israel says Hamas commander involved in holding seven hostages killed in Gaza

The Israeli military says it has killed a Hamas military wing commander who it says was involved in holding seven Israeli civilians hostage in an underground tunnel in Gaza City.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad was killed in an air strike in the Gaza City area over the weekend.

According to the IDF, Awad was involved during the war in holding Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran and Eitan Mor in the tunnel.

The IDF said Awad had recently been planning and advancing attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and had been working to restore Hamas's capabilities, which it described as a violation of the ceasefire.

It said the strike was carried out from the air to remove what it called an immediate threat. The military added that measures had been taken to reduce the risk to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

The IDF said troops under its Southern Command remained deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and would continue operating against what it described as immediate threats.

By Aghakazim Guliyev