CNN
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Israeli forces say they killed the leader of a Palestinian extremist group who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The Israeli Defense Secretary (IDF) said Assad Abu Sharia, who led the Palestinian Mujahideen movement and the Mujahideen Brigade, who led the armed wing Mujahideen Brigade, was killed in a joint operation with Israeli Singh Bet security agency.
His death and his death of his brother Ahmed Abu Sharia was confirmed by a group of extremists after Gaza civil defense reported that Israeli airstrikes had hit family homes in the Sabra area of Gaza city.
Hamas-Run Al-Aqsa TV said the strike killed at least 15 people and injured several. The video shows people looking for pieces of a smashed four-storey home.
The Mujahideen Brigade took part in the attack on October 7th, attacking alongside Hamas and other Palestinian extremist groups, hostages, including families whose suffering became symbols of the attack.
According to Israeli forces, Sharia was one of the militant leaders who attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where many residents were killed or taken hostage during the brutal assault that led to the Israeli war in Gaza.
Israeli forces said the jihadist groups’ fighters took part in cross-border attacks “as an extension of the Hamas attack.”
According to Israel, Sharia was directly involved in the abduction and murder of Siri, Ariel and Kufia Vivas. This was his mother and two sons, one of the most famous victims of the attack.
Kfir was the youngest hostage kidnapped to Gaza and the youngest to be killed. The boy’s mother, Siri, was 32 years old when he was invited. Their father, Yalden, was also captured, but was released lively in February 484 days after being taken prisoner.
In response to the news of Sharia’s murder, the Vivas family expressed “a heartfelt thanks” to the Israeli army, stating that his death was “a step in a journey to closure.”
“While we cannot regain Ciri, Ariel and KFIR, we can see a measure of comfort in knowing that these sleazy killers do not harm another family,” the Vivas family said in a statement shared through the Hostage and Missing Family Forum.
Israeli military said Sharia was also involved in acquiring Israeli-American couple Hagai and Judy Lynn Weinstein Hagai.
An Israeli-American couple was killed near Kivtznir Oz’s home during the 2023 attack. The body of Natapon, an agricultural worker who was accused of alive on October 7, was recovered from southern Gaza in a military operation on Friday.
Israel said it believes the Mujahideen brigade still holds additional bodies of foreigners. The group has previously denied killing prisoners.
