From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 2, 2026
IDF says it killed Hamas cell leader who invaded Nir Oz on October 7
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Hamas terrorist who invaded Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was killed in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces.
The strike killed Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, head of a cell in Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, who infiltrated Nir Oz on October 7, according to the IDF.
A separate strike in central Gaza on Friday killed Muhammad Abd al-Nasser Muhammad Khatib, identified by the IDF as a Hamas commander in the terror group’s Maghazi Battalion.
The military justifies the strikes amid the ceasefire by saying that both terror operatives had been advancing attacks on troops.
“The terrorists were eliminated in precise aerial strikes to remove the threat,” the army adds.
צה״ל חיסל מחבל מארגון הטרור חמאס שפשט לקיבוץ ניר עוז בטבח ה-7 באוקטובר
צה"ל תקף אתמול בדרום רצועת עזה וחיסל את המחבל סאלם גמאל עבד אלרחמן אבו לבד, ראש חוליית נוח'בה בארגון הטרור חמאס.
המחבל פשט לקיבוץ ניר עוז במהלך טבח ה-7 באוקטובר.
בתקיפה נוספת במהלך סוף השבוע במרכז רצועת… pic.twitter.com/VEwQQHCUqm
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 2, 2026
Gaza health officials linked to Hamas said at least two people were killed in strikes Saturday. Israel said earlier that it targeted weapons depots in strikes.
The Times of Israel Community.