(Oct. 10, 2026 / JNS)
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday struck and killed three Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip and targeted several terrorist infrastructure sites across the enclave, the military said on Friday.
Those slain were identified as Muhammad Aja, a company commander in Hamas’s “military” wing, who was killed in the Al-Furqan coastal neighborhood in Gaza City, and Hassam Walid Hassan Abu al-Ata and Magdi Moein Yousef al-Ayoubi, both members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, who were also killed in Gaza City.
Recently, the terrorists intensified attacks against IDF troops and took steps to restore the capabilities of their organizations, in systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement, according to the statement.
Measures were taken to minimize harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance, the military said.
“IDF troops under the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,” added the army.
Also on Thursday, the IDF, in coordination with the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet), carried out targeted strikes in Gaza, destroying four weapons storage facilities belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The IDF said the facilities contained dozens of weapons of various types, including rockets, explosive devices, mortars, Kalashnikov rifles and other combat equipment.
“The IDF and Shin Bet will continue to operate in order to degrade the capabilities of terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and thwart any attempt to restore them or stockpile weapons intended to harm IDF troops,” added the agencies.
On Thursday, the IDF announced that it had killed two additional Hamas terrorists in separate airstrikes in Gaza City this week, including a commander involved in holding three Israeli hostages during the war.
Muhammad Yazji, a commander in Hamas’s Shati Battalion, was killed in an strike in the Gaza City area on Monday, Oct. 5, according to the military.
The IDF said Yazji had been involved throughout the war in holding Israeli hostages in the Gaza City Brigade’s area of operations, including Matan Angrest, Emily Damari and Romi Gonen, all of whom were subsequently released from captivity.
Damari was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, while Gonen was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im. Both women were released on Jan. 19, 2025, after 471 days in captivity.
Angrest, an IDF soldier, was abducted from his tank near Nahal Oz during the Hamas attack. His three crewmates—Capt. Daniel Perez, Staff Sgt. Itay Chen and Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz—were killed. Angrest was released on Oct. 13, 2025, after more than two years in captivity.
The IDF did not specify when or for how long Yazji was involved in holding each of the three hostages or whether he personally guarded them.
In a separate airstrike on Tuesday, Oct. 6, Israeli forces killed Muhammad Gamal, a terrorist who fought in Hamas’s Daraj-Tuffah Battalion, in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City.
The military said both men had recently advanced plans to attack Israeli troops and civilians and had been working to rebuild Hamas’s operational capabilities in systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement.
On Wednesday, the IDF said that it killed two Hamas terrorists after they were seen leaving Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, one of whom planted explosives the military said had been stored inside the hospital.
The terrorist planted the IEDs near the ceasefire line in attempt to harm IDF soldiers, according to the statement.
The IDF accused Hamas of “cynically” exploiting hospitals and other medical infrastructure in Gaza for terrorism, thus endangering the civilian population.