The IDF and Shin Bet have eliminated the head of Hamas’s aerial operations, Samer Abu Daqqa, the IDF announced on Monday.
Abu-Daqqa was a key figure behind the paragliders and drones used to infiltrate Israeli territory on October 7.
In September 2024, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet, targeted and killed Abu Daqqa. He had taken over the role after the previous leader was eliminated in October 2023.
Abu Daqqa was responsible for multiple aerial terror attacks, including launching drones toward Israel and IDF soldiers. He was pivotal in developing Hamas’s aerial capabilities and orchestrated the use of paragliders and unmanned aircraft during the deadly attack on October 7.
Before assuming his leadership role, Abu Daqqa served as Hamas’s head of UAV operations until Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. He also oversaw weapons manufacturing in Hamas’s production unit, contributing significantly to projects aimed at enhancing Hamas’s aerial capabilities in Gaza.
In July, the IDF struck a Hamas facility in Rafah, which stored the paragliders used on October 7.
Brutal Hamas massacre
The October 7 massacre was a brutal series of terrorist attacks along the Gaza border, when Hamas terrorists, under the cover of a barrage of rocket fire, infiltrated several Israeli towns, cities, and IDF bases.
The resulting attacks stretched as far east as Ofakim in the Negev and resulted in at least 1,200 people murdered and hundreds taken hostage by Hamas back to Gaza.