IDF says strike killed Oct. 7 terrorist commander, nephew of ex-Hamas chief Haniyeh

A Hamas terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, the nephew of former Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the military announced Saturday.

The strike killed Walid Haniyeh, the deputy commander of an elite Nukhba Force company in Hamas’s military wing.

The IDF said Haniyeh commanded terrorist infiltrators on October 7 and, as such, “was involved in directing and providing operational instructions to a terrorist cell as they took Israeli civilians hostage into the Gaza Strip.”

Recently, he worked to recruit new Hamas operatives while commanding military training for Nukhba terrorists, the IDF added.

The IDF has for more than two and a half years sought out and targeted terrorists involved in the October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people, saw 251 people taken hostage and launched the Gaza war.

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Haniyeh’s uncle, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by Israel in a 2024 assassination in Tehran. He was killed hours after attending a swearing-in ceremony for Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. While reports after the assassination said he was killed by a bomb planted in his guesthouse, Iran said the following year that he was killed by a precision missile that tracked him via his cellphone.

????ELIMINATED: Walid Haniyeh, the Deputy Commander of a Nukhba company in Hamas’ military wing.

Haniyeh commanded the infiltration of a terrorist cell into Israeli territory during the October 7 Massacre. Additionally, he attempted to operate to recruit additional terrorists to… pic.twitter.com/lwzfqZc8be

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 27, 2026

Despite an October 2025 ceasefire, Israel continues to carry out near-daily strikes across Gaza, saying it is targeting Hamas operatives and responding to violations of the truce.

On Saturday, Gaza’s Nasser Hospital said an Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinian siblings, including a 15-year-old girl, in southern Gaza and wounded at least seven others. The strike targeted tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the sprawling camp of Muwasi, killing 15-year-old Islam Moussa and her 30-year-old brother Abdullah Moussa.

The IDF acknowledged it had struck the area of Muwasi, saying it had targeted a Hamas operative, but did not immediately provide more information.

In the hospital’s courtyard, relatives wept over the bodies covered in white burial shrouds.

Also on Saturday, Palestinians reported hearing a loud boom in Gaza City.

The Israeli military struck a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in western Gaza City, wounding at least 12 people, according to Shifa hospital. The ambulance service of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said two people were critically wounded and the majority of those hurt were women.

The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strike, and it was not immediately clear what the target was.

Reports of strikes continued Saturday evening in central Gaza, with no immediate word of casualties. The IDF said it was checking the reports.

Since the ceasefire went into effect, Israel has killed more than 1,030 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are unverified, and which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The enclave is split between Israeli and Hamas control, and on Friday, hundreds gathered to protest Hamas despite threats from the terror group.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.