The IDF said Tuesday it eliminated Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba terrorist cell who took part in the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel and Or Levy from the bomb shelter at the Re’im Junction during the October 7 massacre.
The elimination of Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan
(Video: IDF)
The IDF said Ramadan infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre and took part in the abduction of the four hostages from the Re’im Junction shelter, one of the most infamous scenes of the Hamas attack.
According to the military, Ramadan continued throughout the war, and in recent weeks, to advance attack plans against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. The IDF said he therefore posed an immediate threat to Israeli troops operating in the Gaza Strip.
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Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba terrorist cell
(Photo: IDF)
The military said that before the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
“IDF troops under the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,” the military said.
The Re’im Junction shelter, later known in Israel as the “shelter of death,” was where many young people fleeing the Nova music festival sought cover as Hamas terrorists attacked the area on October 7.
Hamas footage from the shelter showed Eliya Cohen and Hersh Goldberg-Polin after terrorists threw grenades into the shelter. Goldberg-Polin lost his hand in the blast.
Disturbing footage of the abduction, later released during the war at the families’ request, showed Hersh, Or and Eliya inside the shelter before terrorists seized them and forced them onto a pickup truck that took them into Gaza.
Footage from the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel
(Video: Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
In the video, the terrorists can be heard saying, “these are the dogs” and “Al-Qassam has taken control of them,” while also seeking to take selfies. One of them is heard shouting at a hostage, “you dog with blond hair,” before saying where they were taking them.
In September last year, the IDF killed another Nukhba terrorist who commanded the murder attack at the Re’im shelter. The terrorist, Hassan Mahmoud Hassan Hassin, commanded the assault together with Mohammad Abu Atiwi, who was killed in October 2024, and was involved in abductions from the site.
At the time, the IDF said Hassin, as a Nukhba platoon commander in Hamas’ al-Bureij Battalion, had directed and carried out several terror plots against Israeli forces operating in Gaza.