From IDF: Hamas commander who took tank soldiers captive killed in Gaza airstrike
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Hamas commander who invaded Israel during the October 7 onslaught and took part in abducting tank soldiers was killed in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip last week, the military announces.
The strike on Thursday in Khan Younis killed Jihad Samih Mahmoud Ismail, identified by the IDF as a squad commander in Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force.
On October 7, 2023, Ismail invaded Israel and was involved in a battle with a tank crew deployed to the border, near the community of Nirim, according to the military.
The crew included commander Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, driver Sgt. Shaked Dahan, 19, gunner Sgt. Nimrod Cohen, 19, and loader Sgt. Oz Daniel.
The IDF says Ismail took part in abducting the bodies of Neutra and Daniel, and in taking Cohen captive. Dahan was also killed in the battle, and his body was taken to Gaza separately. Cohen was freed in October 2025.
During the war, according to the military, Ismail was involved in carrying out attacks on Israeli troops in the Strip.
Recently, Ismail was involved in advancing attacks against troops and civilians, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” and he was “eliminated to remove the threat he posed,” the IDF adds.
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