Israeli pause on strikes in Gaza suspends deadly hunt for October 7 terrorists
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondentOn Wednesday, a Palestinian terrorist who invaded Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught was captured by Israeli troops at a crossing with the Gaza Strip.The member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force had requested a permit to deliver private sector goods inside the Strip and was granted one by the Shin Bet security agency, according to Israeli security sources.Upon arriving at the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing in a truck to collect the goods, he was apprehended by Israeli troops, the sources said.Up until last week, it is possible that the truck driver would not have been captured.Instead, he would have likely been targeted with deadly firepower, as part of a special operation led by the military and Shin Bet to hunt down and kill every Palestinian terrorist involved in the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre.As reported last…
Israel has paused its deadly hunt for October 7 terrorists in Gaza, a campaign that had previously targeted individuals involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks. This shift was highlighted by the capture of a Hamas Nukhba Force member at the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Wednesday, who would likely have been killed under the previous policy. The joint IDF-Shin Bet unit, Nili, has been working for three years to identify and eliminate approximately 5,000 perpetrators, with around 2,800 confirmed killed and 300 captured.
"We will not allow a threat to emerge on our borders as we experienced on October 7."
The pause in targeted elimination strikes, which now require approval from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, began at the start of the month following a US-led roadmap for Hamas disarmament. Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting the plan, Israeli strikes in Gaza have not resumed. Lt. Gen. Zamir stated on Wednesday that the army would continue to "operate proactively" against Hamas and "systematically" hit the terror group.
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