The IDF and Shin Bet killed Hamza Sharbatzi in an airstrike in northern Gaza last Wednesday, the military announced. Sharbatzi commanded Hamas’s Shuja’iyya Battalion and was one of the terrorists who stormed the Nahal Oz base on October 7.
1+The strike targeted Sharbatzi after intelligence identified him planning attacks against IDF forces operating along the “Yellow Line”—a sensitive security corridor near the Gaza border. During the October 7 massacre, Sharbatzi led and participated in the raid on Nahal Oz base, where IDF soldiers were killed and kidnapped.
The IDF released a photo from the day of the attack showing Sharbatzi armed inside a fortified position at the Nahal Oz base. His identification and continued activity in the field led to the intelligence and operational closure of the circle.
The airstrike also killed Azzam al-Haya, a Nukhba force terrorist who recently held a central role in the organization and is the son of a senior Hamas official. Both were advancing terror operations and attempting to strike IDF forces operating in the area.
1+“The terrorist Sharbatzi infiltrated into Israeli territory during the murderous massacre on October 7 and took part in the raid on Nahal Oz base, where IDF soldiers were killed and kidnapped,” an IDF spokesperson said. “Recently, Sharbatzi operated near the Yellow Line and in his role was engaged in advancing terror operations against IDF forces operating in the area. IDF forces in Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to act to remove any immediate threat.”
Despite the operational deployment in accordance with agreements, Hamas operatives remaining in Gaza have been attempting to rebuild terror infrastructure and carry out attacks against IDF forces stationed in security zones. The Yellow Line is a sensitive sector where Israeli forces operate to maintain security and prevent terrorists from approaching the border fence.