JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency said Friday that Izz al-Din Bik, the Hamas commander killed in an airstrike earlier this week, had been responsible for holding Israeli hostages in northern Gaza during the war.
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Bik, commander of Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade, was killed Tuesday in a strike in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said. Israeli officials said intelligence developed after the strike showed that, in that post, he oversaw the captivity of numerous hostages.
The IDF and the ISA, also known as Shin Bet, said those held under his responsibility included Mia Schem, Hisham al-Sayed, Amit Buskila, Uriel Baruch, Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman, Elia Toledano, Shani Louk, Michel Nisenbaum, Staff Sgt. Tamir Nimrodi, Yitzhak Gelerenter, Eitan Levy, Hanan Yablonka, Ron Benjamin and Orion Hernandez.
Before taking command of the brigade, Bik led Hamas’ Western Jabalia Battalion and headed military intelligence for the Northern Gaza Brigade, the agencies said. In those roles, they said, he advanced and financed attacks on Israeli civilians and helped found Hamas’ Nukhba forces in northern Gaza.
Officials also said he commanded and took part in the infiltration of Israeli territory on the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
Bik had led the Northern Gaza Brigade since the killing of his predecessor, Ahmed Ghandour, in November 2023, and had previously survived an Israeli strike, according to earlier military statements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said after Tuesday’s strike that Israel would continue pursuing Hamas operatives “until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza.”
The IDF and the ISA called Bik’s death an important moment of closure and said they would keep acting against those who took part in the Oct. 7 attack. The military said it would continue to protect Israeli civilians and remove threats from Hamas.