Heads of terror group that abducted and murdered Bibas family killed by IDF – The Times of Israel
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
IDF airstrike kills head of Palestinian jihadist group that helped Hamas kidnap, murder on Oct. 7
Asaad Abu Sharia, head of the Mujahideen Brigades, was taken out in a joint operation in Gaza City on Saturday by the Israeli Defense Forces and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. Another high-ranking leader of the group, Mahmoud Kaheel, was killed in a separate airstrike. The group aided Hamas by raiding the Nir Oz kibbutz, which was home to Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir. The Bibas family and an Israeli-American couple were kidnapped from their home during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. The remains of Nattapong Pinta, 36, who had arrived to work on the kib butz a year and a half prior to the attack, were recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, also as part of the special joint operation. The bodies of seven captives from Nir Oz remain in the Strip.
Asaad Abu Sharia, head of the Mujahideen Brigades, was taken out in a joint operation in Gaza City on Saturday by the Israeli Defense Forces and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, the groups announced in a statement posted on Telegram.
6 The IDF and the Shin Bet announced Saturday that they killed Mujahideen Brigades leader Asaad Abu Sharia. IDF/Telegram
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6 Another high-ranking leader of the group, Mahmoud Kaheel, was killed in a separate airstrike. IDF/Telegram
“During the war, the organization he led was involved in instigating terrorist attacks against Israel and fighting against IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip,” the statement read.
Another high-ranking leader of the jihadist group, Mahmoud Kaheel, was killed in a separate attack, officials confirmed.
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“The terrorists of the [Mujahideen] organization took a significant part in the murderous massacre on October 7, and were complicit in the kidnapping and murder,” they added.
During the deadly 2023 attack on Israel, the group aided Hamas by raiding the Nir Oz kibbutz, which was home to Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, American-Israeli couple Gadi Hagai and Judy Lynn Weinstein, and Thai national Nattapong Pinta.
6 Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were kidnapped from their home during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Yifat Zailer / Facebook
The Bibas’ remains were handed over to Israel in February and Hagai’s and Weinstein’s bodies were recovered just this week by the IDF and Shin Bet.
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The remains of Pinta, 36, who had arrived to work on the kibbutz a year and a half prior to the attack, were recovered from Mujahideen Saturday in the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, also as part of the special joint operation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Pinta, like the other Nir Oz victims, is believed to have been killed in the early days of the war.
6 Nattapong Pinta was working on a kibbutz during the Oct. 7 attacks, sending money home to his family in Thailand. AP
In total, 47 people were killed on the kibbutz during the onslaught and 76 were abducted — only four of whom are presumed alive.
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The bodies of seven captives from Nir Oz remain in the Strip, according to reports.
Pinta, who had been working on avocado and pomegranate farms before being take captive, had been sending his earnings to his wife and young son back in Thailand in the hopes of helping her open a coffee shop, the Times of Israel reported.
The father was one of 46 Thais who were killed while working in Israel.
6 Israeli soldiers deployed during an army operation in the West Bank city of Nablus in late May. ALAA BADARNEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Fifty-five hostages remain in capticity in Gaza, but only 20 are believed to be alive.
The IDF and the Shin Bet vowed Saturday to “to locate and thwart all terrorists … who took part in the murderous massacre on October 7 and in holding Israeli hostages captive.”
In recent weeks, Israel has expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip and announced Saturday that it had uncovered an underground tunnel route, including a command and control center run by Hamas under a European Hospital compound.
6 The IDF retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday. AFP via Getty Images
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And with a concerns growing in the region over a humanitarian crisis, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was forced to suspend operations on Saturday due to “direct threats against GHF operations” by Hamas, according to reports.
“Hamas is the reason hundreds of thousands of hungry Gazans were not fed today,” the GHF said in a statement.
With Post wires
IDF kills Gazan terrorist that abducted, likely murdered Bibas family
Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad was a senior commander in the Military Intelligence Array in the Gaza Strip. He was affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization. Awad infiltrated the Israeli community of Nir Oz multiple times and was likely personally involved in the abductions and brutal murders of Shiri Bibas and her sons.
He was affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization.
On October 7, Awad infiltrated the Israeli community of Nir Oz multiple times. He was one of the leaders of the massacre and was likely personally involved in the abductions and brutal murders of Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel and Kfir.
Additionally, he played a role in the abduction and burial of Gaddi Haggai and Judy Weinstein. He was also involved in the abductions of Thai citizens. Advertisement
Additional terror attacks
As part of his role in the terrorist organization, Awad actively recruited operatives in the West Bank and within Israel, using them to plan and carry out attacks against Israelis until his death. Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
During the war, the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization, with Awad as a key figure, carried out multiple terrorist attacks against Israel and IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip.
Bibas family kidnapping
During the October 7 raid, Hamas terrorists infiltrated into southern Israel, murdering and kidnapping hundreds of people, including the Bibas family. Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were kidnapped by Awad and their husband/father Yarden was kidnapped by Hamas.
The kidnapping of the Bibas family was one of the results of the complete collapse of Israel’s security forces on October 7, with their community of Nir Oz suffering a grievous massacre.
IDF kills Bibas family kidnappers, hostage video producer in Gaza
Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad was a senior commander in the Military Intelligence Array in the Gaza Strip. He was affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization.
The IDF and Shin Bet struck and eliminated Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, a senior commander in the Military Intelligence Array in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Friday.
He was affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization.
On October 7, Awad infiltrated the Israeli community of Nir Oz multiple times. He was one of the leaders of the massacre and was likely personally involved in the abductions and brutal murders of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas.