Gaza terrorist who took part in Oct. 7 kidnapping killed in Israeli airstrike

A Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who took part in the kidnapping of hostage Yagil Yaakov during the October 7 onslaught was killed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

The strike on Friday in southern Gaza killed Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa, the commander of Islamic Jihad’s elite forces in the terror group’s Khan Younis Brigade, according to the military.

The IDF and Shin Bet say Abu Mustafa raided the border community of Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and took part in the kidnapping of Yaakov, who was 12 years old at the time.

The military publishes a photo showing Abu Mustafa and several other terrorists during the kidnapping of Yaakov.

“In recent months, Abu Mustafa played a significant role in rebuilding the terrorist organization’s military capabilities in the Gaza Strip, in violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF says, adding that he also advanced attacks on troops and “attempted to conduct training for terrorists at Nasser Hospital, while exploiting the hospital to advance terrorist activity.”

The military says that “due to his recent activities and the immediate threat he posed to IDF troops, Abu Mustafa was eliminated in a precise strike.”

In a separate strike over the weekend, a Hamas operative in the terror group’s elite Nukhba Force was killed. The military says the operative, Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish, “attempted to advance training and instruction for the organization’s terrorists and worked to recruit additional terrorists to the organization.”