In a joint IDF and Shin Bet (ISA) operation, the Israel Air Force (IAF) struck and eliminated the terrorist Mohammad Abu Itiwi, a Nukhba commander in the Al Bureij Battalion of Hamas's Central Camps Brigade, the military said on Thursday.
Abu Itiwi was involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians on October 7, the IDF said.
It added that Itiwi was the terrorist who led the attack on the bomb shelter on Route 232 in the area of Re'im in southern Israel.
Notably, the bomb shelter on Route 232 was the location where those who fled from the Hamas attacks at the Nova Music Festival took cover. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alon Ohel, Or Levy, and Eliya Cohen were taken hostage while they hid in it.
Additionally, many others were murdered within the shelter, the IDF said.
Over the course of the Israel-Hamas War, Abu Itiwi directed and carried out numerous attacks on IDF soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.
IDF calls for UNWRA employee investigation
Following the incident, representatives of COGAT solicited clarifications from senior officials in the UN and international community.
The IDF also requested an urgent investigation into the involvement of UNRWA employees in the October 7 Massacre, the military stated.
Abu Itiwi's name was included in a list of UNRWA employees and personnel.