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IDF kills Hamas terrorist tied to Oct. 7 Zikim attack

Louay Hisham Mahmoud Basal was eliminated in a targeted strike after being identified as an immediate threat to Israeli troops.

IDF Near Gaza
Israel Defense Force Artillery Corps staging area near the southern border with Gaza, Dec. 12, 2023. Photo by Moshe Shai/Flash90.

Israeli forces on Friday killed a Hamas terrorist who infiltrated the Zikim base during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

Louay Hisham Mahmoud Basal, a member of Hamas’s Zeitoun Battalion in Gaza City who served as a sniper, was killed in a targeted strike after being identified as an immediate threat to Israeli troops, according to the IDF.

The military said intelligence assessments indicated Basal had participated in the Oct. 7 assault and had recently been involved in planning attacks against IDF forces.

The IDF said it took measures to minimize civilian harm ahead of the strike, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

Israeli forces under Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue operating to neutralize threats, the military added.

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