IDF Confirms Elimination of Hamas Terrorist Involved in Guard’s Death

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared on Wednesday that they have eliminated a Hamas militant linked to the death of Corporal Noah Marciano, who was captured in Gaza.

This operation reportedly follows a nighttime assault by Hamas that resulted in an injury to an IDF soldier in northern Gaza, which breached a cease-fire agreement.

According to the IDF, Mohammed Issam Hassan al-Habil, a prominent commander within Hamas, was killed during an airstrike on the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

“In response to a blatant ceasefire violation overnight, the IDF and ISA targeted and eliminated Mohammad Issam Hassan al-Habil, head of Hamas,” the IDF confirmed in a statement.

Additionally, through interrogations conducted by the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), it was revealed that al-Habil had murdered 19-year-old Marciano, who was in Hamas’s captivity.

Marciano had been taken from the Nahal Oz outpost during the events of October 7, when the terrorist organization launched a significant attack.

She was injured in an IDF airstrike while under Hamas’s control on November 9, 2023, and was later hospitalized at Shifa in Gaza City.

Initially, Hamas announced that Marciano had died due to an Israeli airstrike.

Ultimately, her remains were retrieved by the Israeli military in November 2023 and returned to her family in Modi’in for burial.

Following news of al-Habil’s death, Marciano’s mother, Adi Marciano, expressed that her family had been assured that all those involved in her daughter’s murder would face justice. “There’s no real comfort in this,” she mentioned.

“But we have the knowledge that even partial justice has been done. Nothing can bring Noah back to us.”

The IDF remarked, “With this action, the Marciano family, the IDF, and the ISA find closure.” They also indicated a commitment to continue operations against any terrorists connected to the attacks of October 7 or threats to Israeli civilians.

Israeli forces were engaged in multiple security responses overnight, including combating an attack on IDF personnel during al-Habil’s elimination.

Around 1 a.m., gunfire from terrorists injured a reserve officer in the Daraj Tufa area. The IDF troops then counterattacked and conducted further operations to neutralize the threat.

The suspects were seen advancing towards the yellow border south of Khan Yunis and were deemed a military risk.

Alongside al-Habil, other notable casualties included Bilal Abu Assi, commander of the Hamas Nuhuba platoon involved in the October 7 attack at Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Ali Radziana, leader of the Islamic Jihad’s Northern Gaza Brigade.