The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet have confirmed the targeted killing of Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a senior Hamas commander responsible for leading the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel. 

Sabah, a Nukhba Platoon commander in the Hamas Western Khan Yunis Battalion, was killed in a drone strike in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to the IDF. He was reportedly hiding in a shelter at the time of the attack. 

🔴Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a Nukhba Platoon Commander in the Western Khan Yunis Battalion was eliminated in an intelligence-based IDF and ISA strike.

Abd al-Hadi Sabah—who operated from a shelter in the Humanitarian Area in Khan Yunis—was one of the leaders of the infiltration into… pic.twitter.com/KMC5HAXNfA

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 31, 2024

Aside from playing a central role in planning and executing the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz, Sabah was also implicated in numerous attacks against IDF forces throughout the current conflict in Gaza.

The IDF stated, “The IDF and ISA (Israel Security Agency) will continue to operate against all of the terrorists who took part in the murderous October 7 massacre.”

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, injuring thousands, and taking over 250 hostages. Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, was one of the hardest-hit locations.

Sabah’s killing is part of Israel’s broader campaign to eliminate Hamas leadership and operatives responsible for the attack.

Earlier on the same day, the IDF and Shin Bet killed Anas Muhammad Saadi Masri, a commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad responsible for overseeing rocket attacks on Israeli border communities.