The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Tuesday that Southern Command forces killed Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba Force cell, in a Monday strike on the central Gaza Strip.
🔴ELIMINATED: Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba terrorist cell.
Ramadan infiltrated Israeli territory & took part in the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel & Or Levy from the bomb shelter at the Re’im Junction during the… pic.twitter.com/P3HITFJWBA
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 2, 2026
According to the IDF, Ramadan infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7, 2023 massacre and participated in the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel, and Or Levy from a bomb shelter at the Re’im Junction. The Nukhba Force is the special operations element of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, and led the cross-border assault on October 7.
The IDF stated that Ramadan continued to advance attack plans against Israeli soldiers and civilians in Gaza in recent weeks, posing an immediate threat to forces in the area. According to the IDF, prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
All four victims from the Re’im shelter have confirmed fates. Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli, was killed by Hamas in August 2024 after nearly 11 months in captivity. Cohen and Levy were released in early 2025. Ohel, who endured starvation, torture, and serious eye injuries during more than two years in captivity, was freed October 13, 2025, through a U.S.-brokered deal. He responded to Ramadan’s killing with an Instagram post thanking the IDF and calling on the military to continue “until the last terrorist.”
IDF eliminates Hamas Nukhba commander Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan who took part in kidnapping Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel, and Or Levy on Oct. 7 pic.twitter.com/xen3zU4rLt
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 2, 2026
The strike continues an IDF campaign targeting October 7 perpetrators. On May 16, Southern Command forces killed two additional Hamas operatives, Hamer Iyad Muhammad Almatouk and Khaled Muhammad Salem Joudeh, in northern Gaza after both men attempted attacks against IDF troops.
On May 15, the IDF killed Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas’s military wing. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir called that operation “a significant operational achievement.”
