The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet announced Friday that a Hamas terrorist who abducted IDF officer Cpt. Daniel Perez during the October 7, 2023, onslaught and later held Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Shamriz in captivity, was killed in a strike in the northern Gaza Strip this week.

The strike on Wednesday killed Muhammad Na’im Jandiya, identified by the IDF as the chief of security in Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion.

The military said that on October 7, Jandiya was the commander of a Nukhba Force cell that raided Nahal Oz and took part in abducting the body of Perez, a tank commander.

Additionally, he was among the “prominent masked operatives” who led the Hamas hostage handover ceremonies last year, according to the military.

Recently, as part of his senior role in the Shejaiya Battalion, Jandiya worked to advance attacks against troops stationed in the Strip, the IDF said.

Perez’s father, Rabbi Doron Perez, said in a statement on behalf of the family that “the privilege to live in an independent Jewish state, that is able to protect its citizens, and to hunt those who harm them and to fight for justice, is a privilege of deep significance.”

Perez was stationed near the Gaza border, and he and his tank crew fought for hours against the Hamas invasion of the Nahal Oz IDF outpost until Perez was killed alongside Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz and Staff Sgt. Itay Chen.

The bodies of Perez and Chen were taken captive to Gaza, while their comrade Matan Angrest was captured alive and taken to the Strip and freed on October 13, 2025.

Shamriz’s brothers, in response to the IDF announcement, said “the world is a slightly better place” without Jandiya.

“No act will bring back our hero Alon to us, and no elimination can erase the pain and the void that has opened up in our lives,” Yonatan and Ido Shamriz said in a joint statement.

“At the same time, without this despicable terrorist, the world is a slightly better place. We hope that every terrorist will find their death as quickly as possible. We........

© The Times of Israel