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.
🔴ELIMINATED: Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad, a commander in Hamas' military wing, who took part in holding 7 Israelis hostage.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 24, 2026
Among the hostages:
Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran & Eitan Mor in an underground tunnel in the Gaza… pic.twitter.com/NNX1LdQ8OQ
“Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance,” added the military. “IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”
The IDF on Wednesday eliminated Muhammad Abu Alwan, who headed the financial operations of the Hamas terror group, in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
Netanyahu and Katz praised the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) for the “precise operation” in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
“We will continue to hunt down Hamas commanders and operatives, target its sources of funding and destroy its terrorist infrastructure,” the statement said.
“We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, nor will we stop until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza,” it added.
Board of Peace: Roadmap “will not be easy”
The Board of Peace on Tuesday night hailed the progress made in Gaza over the past year, saying that the work ahead to implement the updated 15-point roadmap for peace and transition in Gaza “will not be easy.”
But with the help of international partners, including the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, and others, “we are confident that we can succeed and turn the plan’s vision into reality,” the international body tweeted.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised the progress made as well, during his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
A year ago, the war in Gaza was still raging “brutally,” the hostages were still held captive in Hamas tunnels and “there was no end in sight,” Trump stated.
But world leaders took the first steps toward a diplomatic solution at the previous UNGA, and “changed everything,” the president continued.
The war ended, lives were saved, and the remaining hostages returned home, “both living and dead; every single one of them,” said Trump.
He also thanked the U.N. Security Council for unanimously adopting Resolution 2803, a comprehensive 20-point peace plan for Gaza, and for approving the Board of Peace, chaired by Trump and tasked with overseeing and advancing the U.S. president’s proposal.
On Monday, the Board of Peace said that the time has come for all parties involved in the war to “fulfill their commitments and refrain from actions that could undermine the ceasefire or return Gaza to conflict.”
The Board reaffirmed its commitment to accomplish demilitarization and deradicalization in Gaza; an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip; an effective Palestinian civilian and security administration, also known as a technocratic governing body; and reconstruction with sustained humanitarian assistance.
“The political choice is now clear... UNGA provides an opportunity to consolidate the international community behind one agreed framework, and to demonstrate that diplomacy can deliver lasting peace, security and a better future for Palestinians and Israelis,” the Board of Peace noted.
Katz warns Hamas against kidnapping Israeli soldiers or civilians
Katz issued a stark warning to Hamas on Tuesday against attempting to kidnap an Israeli soldier or a civilian.
During an address at a memorial ceremony for the fallen of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the defense minister stated that “if even one Israeli soldier or civilian is abducted, the city of Gaza—with its homes and terrorist towers—will be evacuated southward of its one million residents,” adding that Gaza City “will be dealt with in the same manner in which Rafah and Beit Hanoun and 70% of the Gaza Strip were dealt with, until he is returned.”
He further pledged not to withdraw from the so-called Yellow Line that runs through the Gaza Strip—where the IDF is deployed—as long as Hamas remains in Gaza and the Strip does not become a demilitarized zone.
