A Hamas company commander who held hostages before and during the Gaza war, and served as the “right-hand man” of senior leaders in the terror group, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet announced on Friday.

The strike on Thursday in Khan Younis killed Anas Mahmoud Ahmad Hamdan, identified by the military as a company commander in the terror group who served as a “central figure in holding hostages in the Gaza Strip and in the process of their return to Israel.” He was also responsible for Hamas’s propaganda in the Khan Younis Brigade.

“In addition, Hamdan served for years, including during the war, as the right-hand man of senior military wing leaders Muhammad Deif and Rafa’a Salameh,” the IDF and Shin Bet said.

During the war, Hamdan held hostages and was “responsible for documenting the hostages during the release ceremonies,” the IDF said, adding that before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught that began the Gaza war, he was tasked with holding Avera Mengistu hostage.

Mengistu entered the Gaza Strip of his own accord in 2014, amid mental distress. He was arrested by Hamas shortly after entering the coastal enclave and was released as part of the October ceasefire deal after 3,821 days in captivity.

The military said that Hamdan was targeted because he was recently involved in training terrorists and attempted to advance attacks on troops and Israeli civilians.

“The terrorist posed a threat to our forces operating in the Gaza Strip and was eliminated in precise aerial strikes,” the military added.

Separately, Hamas-affiliated media outlets in Gaza reported that eight people were killed and 19 others wounded in a strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on........

© The Times of Israel