Hamas commander killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
Shafaq News- Middle East
The Israeli military on Friday reported killing Hamas commander Sabahi Sami Mahmoud Shahata in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip two days earlier.
It identified Shahata as a platoon commander in Hamas’s military wing who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, helped hold Israeli hostages, and planned operations against troops and civilians, but gave no location for Wednesday’s strike.
🔴ELIMINATED: Sabahi Sami Mahmoud Shahata, a platoon commander in Hamas' military wing.Sabahi infiltrated Israel & participated in the October 7 Massacre. He took part in holding numerous hostages in Hamas captivity. Additionally, he attempted to advance terror attacks against… pic.twitter.com/mrFeZgflDl
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 21, 2026
Hamas has not commented on Shahata’s reported killing.
Israel has targeted several Hamas figures in recent days. Operations in Nuseirat and Al-Tuffah on Wednesday followed an airstrike in Al-Shati that killed four members of the group’s elite force: Mohammed Fathi Hussein Nasser, Mohammed Al-Attar, Samed Samir Harb Abu Jabal, and Mohammed Hamdi Ahmed Al-Masri. The army identified the four as a company commander and three platoon commanders from the Beit Lahia Battalion.
On Aug. 14, Israel also announced the death of Mohammed Bassam Mohammed Mushtaha, a company commander in the Al-Shati Battalion, in a July 30 airstrike.
Read more: Hamas backs roadmap for second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan
