An Israel Air Force aircraft killed terrorists who partook in the massacre near Israel's Gaza border community of Mefalsim on October 7, the military and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Friday.
Among the five terrorists killed were Jihad Mahmoud Yehia Kahlout, a Nukhba company commander and Muhammad Riyad Ali Okel, a Hamas company commander who led the murder and kidnapping in the area on October 7.
The IDF noted that the two had been at the forefront of Hamas's terrorist activities against IDF troops in northern Gaza.
Additional terrorists killed
Anas Jalal Muhammad Abu Shakian, head of a battalion that infiltrated into the Mefalsim area on October 7, Nor Al-Din Abu Al-Jadyan, a Nukhba terrorist and Sahib Hassan Ali Maser A-Daeem, an additional terrorist in the battalion were named as those eliminated in the strike.
The military added that the five had been killed in a strike on terror infrastructure in Beit Lahiya on Wednesday overnight, guided by intelligence information.
The IDF added that prior to the strike it took several steps to avoid harm being done to civilians, including conducting aerial surveillance and issuing evacuation warnings.
"It should be emphasized that in the past, false and exaggerated reports have been circulated on Palestinian networks, which did not align with the information held by the IDF. The IDF emphasizes the need to be cautious of information published by unreliable sources," the IDF statement read.
The IDF also announced that on Wednesday, an Air Force aircraft, guided by precise intelligence from Military Intelligence (Aman), the Shin Bet (ISA), and the Southern Command, eliminated Khalid Abu Daqqa, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) rocket unit. The operation targeted Abu Daqqa while he was operating in a designated humanitarian zone in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
The IDF and the Shin Bet described Abu Daqqa as “a significant figure behind numerous terrorist operations.” He was responsible for planning and directing attacks that wounded Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
"Since October 7 and in the following weeks, Abu Daqqa oversaw and commanded rocket fire toward Israeli communities near the Gaza border and managed operatives executing these attacks," the joint statement said.
Extensive precautions were taken to minimize harm to civilians, including the use of precision-guided weaponry, actionable intelligence, and aerial surveillance.
“The IDF and Shin Bet will continue to target anyone involved in terrorism against Israeli civilians and will work relentlessly to achieve the objectives of this war,” the statement concluded.