The announcement covered separate strikes in different parts of Gaza. The military also released details of two Hamas operatives eliminated on October 22. That distinction matters: six men were named in the announcements, but four were identified as targets of the October 31 strikes. The date of the announcement was not the date of every operation described.
A Nukhba Operative Linked to Nir Oz
The military identified the man eliminated in the Khan Yunis area as Muhammad Kamel Masleh Qadih. It said he entered Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and was responsible for the operational readiness of Nukhba terrorists. Nukhba is the Hamas force that played a central role in the massacre and hostage taking in southern Israel.
The IDF's account links Qadih both to the original attack and to the preparation of operatives for further activity. Its announcement did not specify what he did inside the kibbutz. It therefore does not establish his individual responsibility for a particular killing or abduction there.
In a separate strike in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza, the IDF said it eliminated Diaa Abd al-Mohsen Muhammad Abu al-Rous. The military identified him as a Nukhba member in Hamas's armed wing, without attributing participation in the Nir Oz raid to him.
Recruitment and Sniper Command
In northern Gaza, the military identified another target as Nabil Hamad, a department head in Hamas's recruitment apparatus. It said he had been directly involved in strengthening and rebuilding the terrorist organization's armed wing. That role concerned the personnel needed to sustain Hamas's capabilities, alongside its combat operations.
The other man eliminated in a separate northern Gaza strike was Mohannad Nader Mahmoud Dahdouh, identified as a sniper commander. The IDF said he had participated in fighting and attacks against Israeli troops. The military's identification of both men and their roles was also reported by The Jerusalem Post and Israel National News.
The accounts describe several functions within Hamas: preparing Nukhba operatives, recruiting personnel and directing sniper activity. They do not provide a measurement of the overall reduction in Hamas's military capabilities resulting from these strikes.
Two Earlier Strikes Counted Separately
The additional announcement concerned operations in northern Gaza on October 22. One target was Wael Naif Fahmi Muslim, whom the IDF identified as a Nukhba terrorist who entered Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre.
The other was Arafat Kamal Muhammad Ar'air, described by the military as a squad commander in Hamas's rocket array. Neither belongs in the count of four men eliminated on October 31. Their identification on November 2 does not change the date of the strikes in which they died.
IDF Cites Efforts to Rebuild Hamas
The IDF said the operatives had advanced attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians during the war, particularly recently, while helping restore Hamas's capabilities in systematic violation of the ceasefire. It described the aerial strikes as action to remove the threats they posed.
The military also said it took steps to reduce harm to civilians, including precision munitions and aerial surveillance. Its announcements did not provide a complete account of other casualties at each location. They should not be read as establishing that nobody else was harmed.
Southern Command forces remain deployed in accordance with the agreement and will continue acting against threats, the IDF said. The announcements set out the identified targets and Israel's stated reasons for the strikes. They did not announce a timetable for another operation or a change to the ceasefire agreement.
