IDF: Hamas Commander Struck at Khan Yunis Hospital Held Hostages

(Credit: IDF Spokesperson)

The IDF Spokesperson revealed today (Thursday) new details about the strike on senior Hamas figures at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. According to the military, Mohammed Abu Ismail, a senior member of the Khan Yunis Brigade who was struck in the building, was involved in holding Israeli hostages during the war, including inside the hospital itself.

Abu Ismail became a central figure in command of the brigade after its commander, Mohammed Yazuri, was eliminated in early September. The IDF holds him responsible for the captivity of Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zangauker, Edan Alexander and Avera Mengistu, as well as Colonel Asaf Hamami, may Hashem avenge his blood, Staff Sergeant Oz Daniel, and Captain Omer Neutra, may Hashem avenge his blood.

According to the military's statement, over the course of the war dozens of hostages were held at Nasser Hospital, among them women, children, elderly people and foreign nationals, many of whom were abducted from Kibbutz Nachal Oz.

It was further stated that the second floor of the hospital serves as a Hamas military headquarters, tightly secured and off-limits to civilians. Among those who used it was Abu Ismail, alongside additional commanders in the organization.

Also struck in the attack were Muward Tawfik Mahmoud Abu Zarifa, a team leader in the engineering department of the combat and administrative support company, and Khaled Osama Abu Anza, head of the communications section in the operations department of the Hamas intelligence headquarters.

The IDF explained that the airstrike was intended to remove a threat posed by terrorists who operated from inside the hospital to advance dozens of terror plots against army forces and to rebuild the capabilities of the Khan Yunis Brigade, which was severely damaged during the war.

According to the military, the strike was directed at the room where the terrorists were operating, after precautions were taken to limit harm to civilians and to the building. The IDF emphasized that it had warned on several occasions, including recently, against the continued military activity at the hospital and demanded that it stop, but the warnings went unanswered.