IDF kills Hamas terrorist who took part in Oct 7 invasion & hostage release ‘ceremonies’

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday announced the elimination of a Hamas terrorist who took part in the Oct. 7 invasion and the humiliating hostage release ceremonies in recent months, as the fighting continues at a slow pace, apparently designed to facilitate the hostage negotiations.

The Israeli strike, which took place two weeks ago, killed Hamza Wael Muhammad Asafah, the head of a terrorist cell with Hamas' elite Nukhba forces, which spearheaded the invasion on Oct. 7, 2023.

Asafah also took part in the release of Israeli hostages Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben-Ami and Or Levy in February.

The IDF stressed that “Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”

#عاجل 🔻 انتهاء الحساب: جيش الدفاع والشاباك قضيا على إرهابي نخبة شارك في مجزرة السابع من أكتوبر وبعد ذلك في شارك مراسم إطلاق سراح مختطفين

🔻هاجم جيش الدفاع والشاباك قبل نحو أسبوعيْن في منطقة وسط قطاع غزة وقضيا على الإرهابي المدعو حمزة وائل محمد عسفة قائد خلية نخبة في كتيبة دير… pic.twitter.com/BwEFQDEzvh

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) April 15, 2025

The announcement of Asafah's death comes amid an apparent lull in the new ground offensive in recent days, with the IDF releasing updates only sparingly and mostly reporting on the destruction of infrastructure, rather than face-to-face battles with terrorists.

The Jerusalem Post cited IDF sources who reported that the current average number of Hamas fighters being killed stands at approximately 15 per day.

“In comparison, during the initial invasion of northern Gaza in 2023, the IDF killed around 5,000 Hamas fighters in only 20 days, or an average of 250 per day,” JPost reported.

In recent days, several reports have shed light on the slow pace of operations in the Gaza Strip. Several media outlets reported that only 25% of Hamas’ tunnels may have been uncovered so far.

Ynet News and JPost cited sources warning that, at the current pace of fighting, it could take years to dismantle Hamas fully.

While the degradation of material and reserve manpower partly explains the current pace, most analysts believe that the political leadership is deliberately maintaining the situation to pressure Hamas into agreeing to another hostage deal without jeopardizing ongoing negotiations.

The IDF has recently completed its capture of the 12-km Morag Corridor in southern Gaza, cutting off Rafah from Khan Yunis. pic.twitter.com/MBM96z3OmU

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 14, 2025

Despite the slow progression, an Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal that approximately 30% of the Gaza Strip is now under direct or indirect Israeli control, following a shift in the IDF's tactics since Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir assumed command.

Under former IDF Chief Herzi Halevi, the IDF stridently refused to hold territory, instead conducting intense, localized raids using significant manpower and firepower before withdrawing, ultimately enabling Hamas to reclaim the territory.

Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that capturing territory and incorporating it into Israel’s security buffer zone is part of a new pressure tactic against Hamas.

As of Tuesday, the IDF was holding a several-kilometers deep security zone around the border of the Gaza Strip, as well as the area surrounding the city of Rafah, the new Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis, and the broad Netzarim Corridor. IDF troops continue to search and destroy terror infrastructure in these areas, while encountering Hamas resistance only sporadically.

In the southern part of the enclave, troops detonated a 20-meter-deep underground tunnel route running for hundreds of meters in the area of Rafah.

כוחות צה"ל ממשיכים לפעול בעוצמה נגד ארגוני הטרור ברצועה: הושמדה מנהרה תת-קרקעית ברפיח באורך מאות מטרים, חיל האוויר תקף אתרים לשיגור רקטות ולייצור אמצעי לחימה

כוחות צה"ל בפיקוד הדרום ממשיכים בפעילות העצימה ברצועת עזה נגד ארגוני הטרור, בהכוונת אגף המודיעין ושב״כ.

בדרום הרצועה,… pic.twitter.com/JV2DENJL8V

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 14, 2025

“The tunnel route was used as a gathering place for Hamas terrorists and connected a number of tunnel routes in the area,” the IDF reported.

Soldiers also located a weapons cache in a former school building, containing “mortars, hand-grenades, explosives and additional weaponry.”

In the area of Rafah and the Morag Corridor, Israeli troops located another weapons cache and several more tunnel shafts.

Soldiers identified an ambush of terrorists several hundred meters away, in northern Gaza, and called in an airstrike, which eliminated the terrorists.

Overall, the Air Force conducted around 35 airstrikes on terror targets in the past 24 hours, including “a weapons manufacturing site in southern Gaza, providing weapons to the terrorist organizations, and a launching site containing launchers with rockets that were directed toward Israeli territory.”