The IDF and Shin Bet announced Thursday that they have eliminated eight terrorists involved in the October 7 attacks and the abductions of Israeli civilians from the Nova music festival.

The operation, coordinated by the Southern Command with support from the Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Air Force, was part of targeted missions designed to hunt down those who infiltrated Israeli territory and took part in the killings and kidnappings that triggered the war in Gaza. The announcement, released after what officials described as an exhaustive intelligence review, said all eight men were killed in “precise, intelligence-based strikes” between March and August 2025.

Among those named were four men directly tied to the abductions of festival-goers Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or, and Eitan Mor — faces that became international symbols of the horror of October 7.

Ahmad Ibrahim Rajab Sha’er, who the IDF said was responsible for kidnapping Argamani and Or from the Nova music festival grounds, was killed in an August 22 strike. Ahmad Abu Marhil, believed to have taken part in Or’s abduction, was eliminated on March 26. Arafat Dib, accused of kidnapping Eitan Mor and holding him captive under Hamas command, was killed on May 30, while Odeh Alyan Ahmad Qaware’a, described as one of the men tasked with guarding hostages, was eliminated on August 26.

The other four men identified in the announcement were participants in the initial infiltration and massacre of Israeli border communities on October 7.

Bakr Mujida, who breached the border fence with a tractor that day, was killed on July 13. Firas Gharir Suleim al-Hadaf, who entered Kibbutz Kissufim during the assault, was killed on August 23. Ibrahim Salah Rajab Bakhit and Muaid Mahmoud Muhammad Nofal, both of whom crossed into Israeli territory as part of the same operation, were killed in separate strikes on July 6 and March 27 respectively.

The statement emphasized that the targeted operations were carried out “throughout the war” and based on “meticulous intelligence collection and analysis.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)