IDF kills Hamas commander who held Emily Damari captive in Gaza
Former British-Israeli hostage says Hamas commander who guarded her is now “burning in the fires of hell”
A senior Hamas commander accused of holding British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari during her captivity in Gaza has been killed by Israeli forces, with Damari describing him as “a monster” following his death.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Adham Ibrahim Sha’aban Nasman, head of operations for Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, was killed in a strike in Gaza City on Saturday.
According to the military, Nasman directed terrorists during the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on southern Israel and later helped guard several hostages in Gaza, including Damari, Romi Gonen, brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran.
Responding on social media, Damari said Nasman had been “a monster” and “a serious figure” within Hamas.
“So many of the brutal terrorists we encountered aspired to be like him. They were all evil, some at high levels and some at lower levels. Now they’re not talking about us on the phone. They’re burning together in the fires of hell… God willing, more will join them.”
The IDF said Nasman had previously served as commander of Hamas’s Al-Shati Battalion and as intelligence officer for the Gaza City Brigade, where he helped plan attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
It added that in recent months he had been working to rebuild Hamas’s military capabilities by training fighters and overseeing the production and distribution of weapons for the brigade’s battalions.
The announcement came a day after Hamas confirmed it had elected Khalil al-Hayya as its leader, replacing Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024.
Hayya, who has led Hamas’s Gaza leadership from exile and headed the group’s ceasefire negotiating team, was elected following an internal vote. The BBC reported that the leadership contest exposed divisions within Hamas over the group’s future direction after almost three years of war.
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