IDF, Shin Bet kill PIJ terrorist who kidnapped minor from kibbutz during October 7 massacre

PIJ terrorist Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa was killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to a joint statement released by the IDF and Shin Bet.

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Sunday that they killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist who participated in the kidnapping of then-12-year-old Yagil Yaakov from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre.

The PIJ terrorist was identified as Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa. He was killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.

Yaakov was released from terror captivity in November 2023, as part of the first wave of hostages who were freed.

Mustafa, who was the Nukhba commander of the PIJ’s Khan Yunis Brigade, has played a significant role in attempting to rebuild the terrorist organization’s capabilities, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.

He was additionally responsible for advancing a number of terrorist attacks against Israeli troops operating in Gaza and exploiting Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, attempting to train terrorists at the facility.

In a separate strike, the IDF also killed Hamas Nukhba terrorist Mohammed Osama Abd al-Aziz Saba al-Eish.

Al-Eish, according to the IDF, facilitated the recruitment and also advanced efforts to train new Hamas terrorists.

The IDF emphasized that the strikes were conducted with precision munitions and measures were taken before the strikes to reduce the risk of harm to nearby civilians.

This is a developing story.