From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
IDF: Islamic Jihad commander who directed October 7 kidnappings killed in strike
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander who commanded a cell of terrorists that abducted Israeli civilians during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.
The IDF says the strike in Khan Younis yesterday killed Muhammad Khalil Muhammad Aslam, a platoon commander in Islamic Jihad’s elite forces
“During the October 7 massacre, Aslam commanded a terrorist cell that participated in the abduction of Israeli civilians,” the army says.
The IDF justifies the strike during the ceasefire by saying that Aslam had recently been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians.
“The terrorist posed an immediate threat and was eliminated in a precise aerial strike,” the military adds.
צה"ל חיסל מפקד מחלקת נוח'בה שפיקד על חוליית מחבלים שלקחה חלק בחטיפת אזרחים ישראלים ב-7 באוקטובר
צה"ל תקף במרחב חאן יונס אתמול, וחיסל את המחבל מחמד חליל מחמד אסלם, מפקד מחלקת נוח'בה בארגון הטרור גא"פ.
במהלך טבח ה-7 באוקטובר, אסלם פיקד על חוליית מחבלים שלקחה חלק בחטיפת אזרחים… pic.twitter.com/bWEY9BCKo5
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 28, 2026
More from today’s Liveblog:
The Times of Israel Community.