IDF Eliminates Hamas Nukhba Commander Who Took Part in October 7 Attack on Kibbutz Nirim

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that it had eliminated Mohammed Imad al-Rahman Abu Taima, a Nukhba force commander in Hamas' military wing, during an airstrike carried out Tuesday in southern Gaza.

According to the IDF, Abu Taima took part in the October 7 massacre, infiltrating Kibbutz Nirim as part of the Hamas-led assault.

Throughout the war, Abu Taima commanded a Nukhba unit responsible for carrying out ambushes against Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip. In recent months, he had also been involved in advancing additional terrorist operations, maintaining the operational readiness of Hamas fighters, and recruiting new members to the organization.

The IDF said Abu Taima posed "an immediate threat" to Israeli troops operating in the area and was eliminated in a precise aerial strike.

"The terrorist posed an immediate threat to our forces operating in the area and was eliminated in a precise airstrike," the military said in a statement. "IDF forces under the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the current operational framework and will continue to act to eliminate any immediate threat."