The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency have confirmed that eight Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks and abductions from the Nova music festival were killed in a series of targeted strikes in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. The announcement, made Thursday, comes weeks after two Israeli hostages, Avinatan Or and Eitan Mor, were released from Hamas captivity under a ceasefire agreement, and months after the rescue of Noa Argamani in a special IDF operation.
According to Israeli officials, the targeted individuals were key members of the Hamas cells responsible for the abductions and killings carried out during the October 7 onslaught, which left 1,200 people dead and 251 others taken hostage. Intelligence assessments conducted jointly by the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that the eight terrorists were eliminated between March and August 2024 in precise aerial and ground operations throughout Gaza.
Among those identified was Ahmad Ibrahim Rajab Shaar, who played a direct role in the kidnapping of Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or during the Nova music festival massacre. Shaar was killed in an IDF strike on August 22. Another operative, Ahmad Abu Marhil, who had also participated in Or’s abduction, was eliminated on March 26. Arafat Dib, responsible for abducting and later holding hostage Eitan Mor, was killed on May 30.
Additional Hamas figures confirmed dead include Odeh Alyan Ahmad Qaware, who was involved in holding Israeli captives in Gaza and was killed on August 26; Bakr Mujida, who used a tractor to breach the Gaza border barrier during the initial assault on October 7 and was killed on July 13; and Firas Ghrir Sweilam al-Hadaf, who invaded Kibbutz Kissufim, killed on August 23. Two others, Ibrahim Saleh Rajab Bakhit and Mu’ayid Mahmoud Muhammad Nufal, both of whom participated in the infiltration of southern Israel, were killed on July 6 and March 27 respectively.
The IDF stated that these strikes were part of a broader campaign led by the Shin Bet’s elite “Nili” unit, a division created shortly after the October 7 attacks. Named after the historic Jewish underground network from World War I — an acronym in Hebrew meaning “The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie” — the Nili unit was established to identify and eliminate those responsible for orchestrating and carrying out the mass killings and kidnappings.
Comprised of highly experienced intelligence officers from both the Shin Bet and the IDF, the Nili unit has played a central role in coordinating intelligence gathering, tracking the movement of Hamas operatives, and overseeing the precision strikes that have targeted senior figures across Gaza. Officials say the unit’s work has led to the deaths of hundreds of terrorists, including high-ranking Hamas commanders and other militant leaders involved in the October 7 massacre.
The IDF emphasized that these operations were conducted after extensive intelligence verification to ensure that the targets were directly involved in acts of terrorism against Israel. “These individuals were responsible for brutal crimes against Israeli civilians and the abduction of our citizens. Their elimination represents justice for the victims and a continuation of our commitment to dismantle Hamas’ operational networks,” the military said in a statement.
The October 7 attack, launched by an estimated 5,600 Hamas operatives, was the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Militants crossed the Gaza border, infiltrating dozens of Israeli communities, military outposts, and the Nova music festival, where hundreds of civilians were killed or abducted. Many of the hostages were taken into Gaza and held in underground tunnels. According to the IDF, approximately 1,600 Hamas terrorists were killed inside Israel during the assault, while 149 were captured. The rest fled back to Gaza, where they have since been targeted in ongoing Israeli operations.
Since the war began, Israel has conducted a series of intensive military campaigns aimed at dismantling Hamas’ infrastructure and command hierarchy. The government has maintained that the elimination of those directly responsible for the October 7 atrocities remains a top national priority.
Officials said that while the confirmation of these killings does not erase the trauma of that day, it represents a continued effort toward accountability. “The Nili unit’s mission is rooted in ensuring that no one involved in the atrocities of October 7 escapes justice,” a Shin Bet spokesperson stated. “The memory of those lost drives every operation we carry out.”
With the war in Gaza continuing and ceasefire talks fluctuating, the Israeli military has pledged to keep pressure on Hamas until all hostages are returned and the group’s operational capacity is fully neutralized. The latest confirmation by the IDF and Shin Bet underscores that Israel’s campaign remains far from over, as it continues to target those linked to the massacre that reshaped the nation’s sense of security and resilience.
