Top Hamas aide who held hostages during war killed in strike on Khan Younis

A Hamas company commander who held hostages during the war and served as the “right-hand man” of senior leaders in the terror group was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

The strike in Khan Younis killed Anas Mahmoud Ahmad Hamdan, identified by the military as a company commander in the terror group who served as a “central figure in holding hostages in the Gaza Strip and in the process of their return to Israel,” and was also responsible for Hamas’s propaganda in the Khan Younis Brigade.

“In addition, Hamdan served for years, including during the war, as the right-hand man of senior military wing leaders Muhammad Deif and Rafa’a Salameh,” the IDF and Shin Bet say.

During the war, Hamdan held hostages and was “responsible for documenting the hostages during the release ceremonies,” the IDF says, adding that before October 7, 2023, he was tasked with holding Avera Mengistu hostage.

The military says that Hamdan was targeted because recently he was involved in training terrorists and attempted to advance attacks on troops and Israeli civilians.

“The terrorist posed a threat to our forces operating in the Gaza Strip and was eliminated in precise aerial strikes,” the military adds.