The commander of Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade was responsible for holding Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity, the IDF and ISA revealed in a joint statement.
Following extensive intelligence research, the IDF and ISA revealed that Izz al-Din Bik, commander of Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade who was eliminated Tuesday, commanded the captivity of Israeli hostages during the war.
Prior to being appointed commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade, Izz al-Din Bik held a number of positions, including commander of Hamas’ Western Jabalia Battalion and head of the military intelligence headquarters of the Northern Gaza Brigade.
In these roles, he advanced and financed numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and was among the founders of Hamas’ Nukhba forces in northern Gaza.
In addition, Izz al-Din Bik commanded and participated in the infiltration into Israeli territory on the morning of the October 7th Massacre.
Throughout the war, and in his capacity as the commander responsible for northern Gaza, Izz al-Din Bik was responsible for holding numerous hostages in Hamas captivity, including Mia Schem, Hisham al-Sayed, Amit Buskila, Uriel Baruch, Corporal Nik Beizer, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Elia Toledano, Shani Louk, Michel Nisenbaum, Staff Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi, Yitzhak Gelerenter, Eitan Levy, Hanan Yablonka, Ron Benjamin, and Orion Hernandez.
"The elimination of the terrorist Izz al-Din Bik marks an important moment of closure for the IDF and ISA, which will continue to act decisively against the terrorists who took part in the October 7th Massacre," the statement emphasized.
"The IDF will continue to act to protect Israeli civilians and remove threats posed by the Hamas terrorist organization."