The IDF said it killed Hamas commander Muhammad Suleiman Byouk, who reportedly infiltrated Israel during the October 7 attacks, in a Khan Yunis strike. The military accused Byouk of planting explosives across Gaza and of planning attacks on soldiers and civilians, calling his actions a "systematic violation of the ceasefire."
His death followed joint IDF–Shin Bet operations that the military says also killed Rafah Brigade commander Nael Abu Obeid and Jabaliya Battalion commander Ahmad Batash.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Saturday that Muhammad Suleiman Byouk, a senior Hamas commander who reportedly infiltrated Israel during the October 7 attacks, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, Byouk was struck in Khan Yunis on Thursday. The military said he spent much of the conflict planting explosive devices across Gaza that targeted Israeli soldiers. The IDF also accused him of planning and advancing attacks against both soldiers and civilians and of working to rebuild Hamas's operational capabilities — actions the military described as a "systematic violation of the ceasefire."
Illustrative image: Rubble from a collapsed building fills the Al-Sinaa area of western Gaza City on September 16, 2026.
Byouk's death followed a series of joint operations by the IDF and Shin Bet earlier in the week. The military said those operations killed Nael Abu Obeid, the Rafah Brigade commander, in a strike in southern Gaza. The IDF described Abu Obeid as a senior Hamas leader who had served as deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and as commander of the Tel al-Sultan and Yibna Battalions. He reportedly replaced Mohammad Shabanah, who the IDF said was killed in May 2025.
Also on Tuesday, the IDF said it had killed Ahmad Batash, commander of Hamas's Jabaliya Battalion, in a northern Gaza strike carried out with the Shin Bet. The military said Batash oversaw logistics for the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades' Northern Gaza Brigade and played a central role in supplying weapons and equipment to fighters in the area.
The IDF framed these strikes as targeting figures it said were directly involved in planning and sustaining attacks against Israeli forces and civilians. Independent verification from other sources is not included in the military statements released so far. Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.
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