IDF Kills Hamas Commander Who Held Israeli Hostages

The IDF and Shin Bet said they killed Anas Mahmoud Ahmad Hamdan in a precise airstrike Thursday in the Khan Younis area. They identified Hamdan as a Hamas company commander, a central figure in holding hostages in Gaza and returning them to Israel, and the propaganda official for Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade. The agencies said he documented hostage-release ceremonies, was involved before the war in Avera Mengistu's captivity, and served for years as a right-hand aide to Muhammad Deif and Rafa'a Salameh. They said he had recently trained terrorists and tried to advance attacks against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.