The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced Tuesday that they had eliminated a Hamas terrorist who participated in the abduction of Shani Louk during the October 7, 2023, massacre.
The terrorist, identified as Tamer Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Zabaq, was eliminated Monday in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia area of the northern Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, Al-Zabaq was a member of Hamas's military wing who infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre and took part in the abduction of Louk.
Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman, was among those attacked by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im on October 7.
Footage circulated following the massacre showed Louk's body being transported through Gaza in the back of a pickup truck surrounded by terrorists, becoming one of the most widely recognized images of the atrocities committed that day.
Her death was confirmed in October 2023, and her remains were recovered from Gaza by Israeli forces in May 2024.
The IDF stated that Al-Zabaq continued engaging in terrorist activity throughout the war, including in recent weeks.
"Throughout the war, and specifically recently, the terrorist advanced attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians and operated to restore the terrorist organization's military capabilities, in systematic violation of the ceasefire," the military stated.
According to the IDF, the airstrike was carried out to eliminate the threat posed by Al-Zabaq.
The military emphasized that precautions were taken before the strike to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.
The IDF added that Israeli security forces remain deployed in the area in accordance with the existing agreement and will continue acting against threats to Israeli civilians and troops.
"The security forces are deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat," the IDF concluded.
