Israel kills two Hamas operatives in Gaza strikes

The Israeli military announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, that it had killed two Hamas operatives in separate strikes in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis earlier in the week. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency identified the men as members of Hamas's elite Nukhba Force and claimed both participated in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

According to the military's statement, Hazem Musa was killed in a strike on August 24. A second strike on August 25, killed Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma. The IDF stated that Abu Shahma had served as a personal bodyguard for Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas political and military leader who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024. The military released a photograph it said showed Abu Shahma alongside Sinwar.

The IDF alleged that both men had been involved in recent efforts to rebuild Hamas's military capabilities and were planning attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, actions it described as a systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement. "The strike was carried out with the aim of removing the threat," the military statement said.

The announcement comes amid continued Israeli operations in...