The IDF and Shin Bet announced Wednesday they eliminated Jamal Abu Saeed, the terrorist head of the ‘operations department’ in Hamas’s intelligence, who held Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov during the war in Gaza.
According to a joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet, Abu Saeed was killed Sunday in a targeted airstrike in Gaza City. The terrorist held a series of senior positions over the years in Hamas’s military wing and was considered a significant knowledge hub within the terror organization.
Among other roles, Abu Saeed was responsible for training military operatives outside the Gaza Strip, served as an anti-tank battalion commander, and oversaw military specializations in Hamas’s Central Camps Brigade. As part of his senior role in military intelligence, he was also in charge of the terror organization’s ties with various countries.
Security officials said that throughout the war, and particularly in recent months, Abu Saeed continued to advance terror operations against IDF forces and Israeli civilians. At the same time, he worked to rebuild Hamas’s military capabilities while systematically violating the ceasefire agreement.
Following his activities and the ongoing threat he posed, the decision was made to kill him in an airstrike. The IDF and Shin Bet emphasized that security forces remain deployed across the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, and will continue to act to remove any threat to IDF forces and Israeli civilians.