The IDF and Shin Bet said Sunday that they eliminated an Islamic Jihad commander who took part in the October 7 abduction of Yagil Yaakov from Kibbutz Nir Oz and had recently attempted to train terrorists at Nasser Hospital in Gaza.
The terrorist, Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa, was killed Friday in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF and ISA, he was a Nukhba commander in the Khan Yunis Brigade of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
The military said Abu Mustafa infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre and took part in the abduction of Yagil Yaakov, who was 12 and a half at the time. The IDF said it has a photo documenting Abu Mustafa inside Israeli territory during the abduction.
Security officials said Abu Mustafa had recently played a significant role in rebuilding Islamic Jihad’s military capabilities in the Gaza Strip, in violation of the ceasefire agreement. He also allegedly advanced terrorist attacks against IDF troops and attempted to conduct training for terrorists at Nasser Hospital, exploiting the medical facility to promote terrorist activity.
The IDF said Abu Mustafa posed an immediate threat to troops operating in the area and was eliminated in a precise strike.
In a separate strike, the IDF and ISA said they killed Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish, a Hamas Nukhba terrorist. According to the military, al-Eish attempted to advance training and instruction for Hamas terrorists and worked to recruit additional operatives to the organization.
The IDF said precautions were taken before the strikes to reduce harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
“IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat,” the military said.
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'In Gaza, I learned to get used to hunger.' Yagil Yaakov in Nir Oz
(Photo: Ziv Koren)
Yagil Yaakov was abducted from Nir Oz on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists raided the kibbutz as part of the massacre in southern Israel, in which dozens of residents were murdered or kidnapped.
Yagil was taken to Gaza along with members of his family. His father, Yair Yaakov, was also abducted and murdered in captivity. His body was later returned to Israel as part of an agreement and the return of bodies.
Yagil and his brother, Or Yaakov, who was 16 at the time, were held captive in Gaza and released in the November 2023 hostage deal after about 50 days in captivity. In an interview with ynet four months ago, Yagil described the hunger and fear he experienced in Gaza.
“In Gaza, I learned to get used to hunger, to understand that there was no food,” he said. “The longing is stronger than I ever thought it could be, like someone is tearing out your heart. You replay your whole life and ask, what the hell did I do to deserve this?” He said surviving captivity brought its own burden.
“I survived, and that’s also not simple. Why me and not others?” he said.
Until his release, Yagil did not know what had happened to his family. On the morning of the attack, he had been at home with his brother Or, but when he was taken from the safe room, he believed his brother had been killed.
“The moment the terrorists took me from the safe room, I started mourning Or,” he said. “I said, that’s it, he’s not alive.”