Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
In this November 16, 2018 image, then-Hamas's Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar holds up a handgun with a silencer he says was captured from Israeli special forces during a firefight in the Gaza Strip on November 11, 2018. On Sinwar's left is his bodyguard, Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma, who was killed on August 23, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The former bodyguard of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and another terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught were killed in separate strikes in the southern Gaza Strip this week, the military announces.
A strike on Sunday in Khan Younis killed Hazem Musa, who the IDF says was a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force. On October 7, Musa raided the IDF’s Re’im Base on the border with the Strip, the military says.
Another strike in Khan Younis, on Monday, killed Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma, also a Nukhba Force terrorist who invaded the Re’im Base on October 7, according to the IDF.
Hamas terrorists Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma (left) and Hazem Musa (right) are seen during the October 7, 2023, onslaught at the IDF’s Re’im Base, in footage published by the IDF on August 27, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Abu Shahma also previously served as the bodyguard of Sinwar, the military says.
The IDF justifies the strikes during the ceasefire by saying that both terrorists had been advancing attacks on troops and civilians, as well as trying to restore Hamas capabilities, “all in violation of the ceasefire agreement.” The strikes were carried out to “remove the threat,” the military adds.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 27, 2026
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