Hamas Leader Who Directed Oct 7 Massacre Killed, Number Of Hostages In Gaza Rises To 240 — Updates

According to the IDF and the Israeli security service Shin Bet, Nassim Abu Ajina, leader of Hamas' Beit Lahia Battalion in the northern region, was killed in an airstrike on Tuesday.

Representational Image. ( Image Source :AP )

The Israeli Defence Forces stated Tuesday that they had killed a prominent Hamas commander who assisted in the October 7 massacre in Israel, CNN reported. According to the IDF and the Israeli security service Shin Bet, Nassim Abu Ajina, leader of Hamas' Beit Lahia Battalion in the northern region, was killed in an airstrike on Tuesday. According to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, Ajina was in charge of directing strikes against Israeli residents on October 7. 

"The IDF and the Shin Bet eliminated the commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of the Hamas terrorist organization. Fighter jets guided by intelligence information from the Amman and the Shin Bet killed last night the commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion in the northern division of Hamas, Nassim Abu Ajina, who sent the murderous attacks of Hamas on October 7 to Kibbutz Erez and the Moshav Netiv Hathara," Hagari stated in an official statement. 

Top Points

• Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Tuesday that the number of hostages believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza is up to 240, reported the Times of Israel. He added that 315 Israeli soldiers have died since Hamas' October attack.
• According to CNN, thirteen supply trucks have passed inspection and arrived in Gaza from Egypt. According to an Egyptian border officer at the crossing who talked to CNN, 81 trucks are presently undergoing security inspections by Israeli officials. 
• Ambassador of Greece to India, Dimitrios Ioannou on Tuesday stated: "First, we condemn the atrocities made by Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organisation. We would not be able to have a solution on the Israel-Palestine conflict without a solution on the end of Hamas. It is a factor to play in this situation...Second, we believe in the solution of two states...The lives of innocent civilians should be saved and protected," ANI reported. 
• According to the Israel Defence Forces and eyewitnesses, the Israeli army demolished Hamas commander Saleh al-Arouri's residence in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday morning, CNN reported. According to the IDF, personnel "operated in town" overnight to "demolish the residence of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas terrorist organization's political bureau and in charge of Hamas' activities in Judea and Samaria." 
• Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari on Tuesday stated that the Israeli military targeted "hundreds" of Hamas sites overnight.
• The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Monday that it was "doing everything possible to bring all kidnapped and missing people home." After Hamas published a short video Monday showing three women thought to be hostages in Haza, Netanyahu's administration made a brief response. "Our hearts go out to you and the other abductees. We are doing everything to bring all the kidnapped and missing people home," the statement was quoted by CNN in its report. 
• According to the staff at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, an overnight Israeli airstrike in central Gaza killed at least 13 people. Dr Khalil Al Dikran told CNN that the strike hit a home in al-Zawaida in Deir al Balah killing all 13 people inside, including children. 
• Three Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of having connections with ISIS, Israel Police and the intelligence agency Shin Bet said, reported Jerusalem Post.
• Saudi Defence Minister Khalid Bin Salman met with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. "Met with @JakeSullivan46 to discuss the Saudi-US partnership. I stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protection of civilians, allowing humanitarian aid, and resuming the peace process. We also discussed the Kingdom’s efforts in Yemen to end the crisis and achieve peace," the minister shared in a post on X after meeting.