Another target eliminated: The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said Friday morning that an Hamas company commander who held many hostages captive was killed. The terrorist, Muhammad Bassam Muhammad Mushtaha, took part in the raid into Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre.
Mushtaha, who served as a company commander in the Shati' Battalion Battalion of the terrorist organization’s military wing, was seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a hideout in Gaza on July 30. He died of his wounds several days later.
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, during the war Mushtaha was involved in holding numerous hostages captive, including: Tsachi Idan, Corporal Noa Marciano, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, Ori Megidish, Naama Levy, and Matan Angrerst.
The IDF said that “the terrorist attempted to advance terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians and was subsequently eliminated in order to remove the threat. IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat.”
Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner and Nikolay Mladenov, director-general of the Gaza Board of Peace, are planning to travel to Israel to discuss with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the launch of President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan for Gaza. The two could arrive in Israel next week, but a source familiar with the details said the visit has not been finalized.
Nikolay Mladenov and Jared Kushner are planning to travel to Israel
(Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad, AP)
Netanyahu himself said earlier this week that Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document. Speaking at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said: “I heard people saying, ‘You didn’t say.’ So here I am saying it again: Israel rejects the 15-point document. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.”
Senior officials on Trump’s Board of Peace quickly pushed back against the prime minister’s statement, saying Israel is complying with the agreement.
“We look at what is actually being done, less at words and declarations,” the officials told ynet. “In practice, Israel has stopped the targeted killings and is maintaining the ceasefire.”
At the same time, after a period of calm, Israeli strikes in Gaza continued for a third consecutive day. The IDF said Thursday that it killed a Hamas company commander in Khan Younis who had been planning terrorist attacks. Another strike took place in Gaza City and, according to the Interior Ministry in Gaza, killed the director of the Gaza City police district, Jamal Abu Kamil.
During a security assessment held against the backdrop of the targeted killings in Gaza, Netanyahu said: “The rules of engagement in Gaza have not changed and will not change. IDF soldiers have our full backing to thwart any threat against them and our citizens. This is the policy and it is being implemented on the ground.”
A security source said Israel had informed the Americans that it would continue targeting Hamas operatives who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre as well as emerging threats. According to the security source, Washington accepts the Israeli approach.
At the same time, Jerusalem decided to increase coordination with the U.S. command center in Kiryat Gat and agreed to moderate its activity in the Gaza Strip.