Top Hamas commander who held hostage is killed in Gaza City — IDF

A top Hamas commander who held Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov in captivity was killed in a strike in Gaza City earlier this week, the military and Shin Bet announce.

The strike on Sunday killed Jamal Abu Saeed, who the IDF says served as chief of operations in Hamas’s military intelligence.

“During the war, Abu Saeed held Omer Shem Tov captive on behalf of Hamas,” the joint statement says.

Abu Saeed held other senior roles in Hamas over the years, including overseeing the training of Hamas operatives outside the Gaza Strip, serving as an anti-tank battalion commander, and being “responsible for military specialization in Hamas’ Central Brigade,” the military says.

Abu Saeed was also “responsible for Hamas’s relations with various countries” and he “served as a significant source of knowledge for the terror organization,” the IDF says.

The IDF says that recently, Abu Saeed had been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians and acted to restore Hamas’s capabilities, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire.”

????ELIMINATED: Jamal Abu Saeed, Head of Operations in Hamas’ military intelligence apparatus who held Omer Shem Tov in Hamas Captivity.

The terrorist oversaw the training of Hamas operatives outside Gaza, was an anti-tank battalion commander & was responsible for military… pic.twitter.com/yVrRFP930N

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 4, 2026