IDF kills Hamas commander who had held seven Israeli hostages in Gaza tunnel

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that it had eliminated Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad, a Hamas commander who, according to the military, held seven hostages in a Gaza tunnel during the war. Awad, who was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza City area over the weekend, took part in holding hostages Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran and Eitan Mor, according to the military. Awad had recently planned terror attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and also worked to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities “in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” the IDF said. “Prior...