Israel says it has killed leader of Palestinian militant group that took part in October 7 attack
CNN The Israeli military says it has killed the leader of a Palestinian militant group that took part in the October attacks on southern Israel Asaad Abu Sharia who led the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement and its armed wing the Mujahideen Brigades was killed in a joint operation with Israel s Shin Bet precaution agency the Israel Defense Forces IDF announced on Saturday His death and that of his brother Ahmed Abu Sharia were proven by the militant group hours after Gaza s Civil Defense shared that an Israeli airstrike had hit their family home in the Sabra area of Gaza City Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV stated the strike killed at least people and injured several Video established people searching through the debris of a demolished four-story house The Mujahideen Brigades took part in the October attacks alongside Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups and took hostage specific of the the greater part high-profile captives including a family whose suffering became a symbol of the attack According to the Israeli military Sharia was among the militant leaders who stormed Kibbutz Nir Oz a small Israeli region near the Gaza frontier where multiple residents were killed or taken hostage during the brutal assault that led to Israel s war in Gaza Despite not being aware of Hamas plans in advance fighters from the jihadist group joined in the cross-border assault as an extension of the Hamas attack the Israeli military explained According to Israel Sharia was directly involved in the abduction and murders of Shiri Ariel and Kfir Bibas a mother and two sons who were among the largest part recognizable casualties of the attack partly because of the young ages of Kfir and Ariel who were nine months and four years old respectively at the time Kfir was the youngest hostage kidnapped into Gaza and the youngest to have been killed The boys mother Shiri was at the time of her kidnap Their father Yarden was also captured but was distributed alive in February after days in captivity Reacting to news of Sharia s killing the Bibas family expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Israeli military saying his death was another step on the journey towards closure While Shiri Ariel and Kfir cannot be brought back we find chosen measure of comfort knowing these despicable murderers will not harm another family the Bibas family explained in a declaration shared via the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Israel s military reported Sharia was also involved in the abduction of the Israeli-American couple Gad Haggai and Judi Lynn Weinstein Haggai and the abduction and killing of Thai national Nattapong Pinta The Israeli-American couple were killed near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the attack in The body of Nattapong an agricultural worker who was abducted alive on October was recovered from southern Gaza in a military operation on Friday Israel reported it believes the Mujahideen Brigades are still holding the body of an additional foreign national The group has previously denied killing its captives
