The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it had killed two Hamas military wing operatives in separate airstrikes in the Gaza City area earlier this week, including a commander the military says participated in the October 7, 2023 attack and was later involved in holding four Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Who the IDF says Hassan Mahmoud Siam was
The IDF identified the commander as Hassan Mahmoud Siam, whose surname has also appeared in English reporting as Ziam or Ziyam. According to the military, Siam entered Israel during the October 7 attack and was involved in holding Amit Soussana, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel and Dafna Elyakim during their captivity.
The wording matters. The IDF did not publicly describe a separate role for Siam in relation to each hostage, and it did not say that he personally abducted all four. The military's statement said he was "involved in holding" them. No statement from the four former hostages or their families specifically addressing Siam had been located by the time of publication.
The IDF said Siam was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza City area on Wednesday, September 23.
A second operative killed a day earlier
In a separate strike a day earlier, the military said it killed Adham Sabhi Salim Ziara, described as a Hamas military wing operative. No rank, age or detailed biography for Ziara was disclosed in the material reviewed by IsraelNews.io.
What the IDF alleges, and what remains unconfirmed
According to the IDF, Siam and Ziara had recently been involved in efforts to plan attacks against Israeli forces and civilians. The military said the activity included plans to open fire on troops and to place explosive devices near the Yellow Line, the boundary marking the area of Israeli military deployment inside Gaza.
The IDF also accused the two men of working to rebuild Hamas military capabilities. Those operational and biographical claims come from the Israeli military and have not been independently confirmed by Hamas.
No Hamas statement acknowledging the deaths of Siam or Ziara had been located by publication time.
Why the announcement matters
The announcement adds to a wider Israeli effort to identify and target Hamas operatives accused of direct involvement in the October 7 attack and in the abduction or captivity of Israeli hostages. Because the IDF has released only limited information about Siam's specific role, claims about exactly how, where or for how long he was connected to each of the four hostages should be treated cautiously unless further evidence is released.