JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israel Defense Forces said it killed a Hamas Nukhba terrorist in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza earlier this week who crossed into Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and took part in the killing of Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg.
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The military identified the terrorist as Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Kandil, a member of Hamas’s military wing. The strike was carried out Monday, the IDF said.
According to the army, Kandil had recently worked to advance attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and to rebuild Hamas capabilities, in what the military described as a systematic violation of the ceasefire. Officials said he was targeted to remove the threat he posed.
The IDF said steps were taken before the strike to reduce the risk of harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.
Steinberg, 42, was commander of the IDF’s 933rd Nahal Brigade when he was killed on Oct. 7 near Kerem Shalom while responding to the Hamas-led assault. He was among the most senior Israeli officers slain that day and was survived by his wife and six children.
Israel has continued to report targeted strikes against Hamas operatives it says participated in the Oct. 7 attack, even after ceasefire arrangements, arguing that those individuals remain an active threat.