The Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday that it had killed two Hamas terrorists in two 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 airstrike 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 Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Matan Angrest, 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 Nova 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.
According to the IDF, the airstrikes were carried out to eliminate the threats posed by the two terrorists. The military said precautions were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.
Israeli troops operating under the Southern Command remain deployed in the Gaza Strip in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue acting against immediate threats, the IDF added.
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