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IDF Says It Killed Hamas Commander Linked to Hostages

Two reports detail the military’s account of a Hamas commander’s role in holding three Israelis who later returned home.

October 11, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 1 minute

JNS reports that the Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday it had killed Muhammad Yazji, a commander in Hamas’s Shati Battalion whom the military linked to the captivity of Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Matan Angrest. All three have since been released.

According to the army, Yazji was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza City area on Monday, Oct. 5. TPS, carried by IsraelFM, separately reported the killing and the same connection to the former hostages. Both reports rely on the military’s account of Yazji’s role.

Damari was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im. Both women were released on Jan. 19, 2025, after 471 days in captivity.

Angrest, an IDF soldier, was abducted from his tank near Nahal Oz during the Hamas attack. He was released on Oct. 13, 2025, after more than two years in captivity.

The military also said it killed Muhammad Gamal, a Hamas terrorist in the Daraj-Tuffah Battalion, in a separate strike in Gaza City. TPS reported that the army accused both men of recently planning attacks against Israeli forces and civilians in violation of the ceasefire. The army said precautions were taken to limit civilian harm.

The significance is the link between a named Hamas commander and the captivity of people who survived and were released. But the public account has limits. The IDF did not specify when or for how long Yazji was involved in holding each hostage, or whether he personally guarded them. Neither outlet independently established his role in their captivity.

JNS also reported that Angrest’s three tank crewmates were killed during the Hamas attack. They were Capt. Daniel Perez, Staff Sgt. Itay Chen and Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz.

According to JNS, the military said Yazji and Gamal had been working to rebuild Hamas’s operational capabilities. The report placed the strike on Gamal in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood on Tuesday, Oct. 6. It also gave details of the precautions cited by the IDF: precision munitions and aerial surveillance.