Katz: 4,000 October 7 terrorists killed, 2,000 still hunted

Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed Monday new figures on the scope of eliminations of terrorists who invaded Israel on October 7. According to Katz, of the 6,000 terrorists who crossed the border and carried out the massacre, 4,000 have been eliminated to date, leaving 2,000 still at large.

"Six thousand terrorists crossed the border into Israel on October 7 and carried out acts of horror. Of these, 4,000 have been eliminated so far, and 2,000 remain," the defense minister stated. He clarified that the directive from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and himself to the IDF and all security forces is sharp and unambiguous.

"Beyond the supreme objective of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza, to pursue and eliminate all of them without limitation and in every circumstance, from the most senior to the most junior," Katz emphasized. "This is the command of the murdered and the fallen, and this is our duty as a people and as a state, and we will fulfill it."

Last week, the IDF eliminated the terrorist Muhammad Hamad Muhammad Gabain, a commander in Hamas's military wing who was involved in holding nine Israeli hostages in captivity.

In August, the IDF killed Muhammad Mushtaha, a senior company commander in the Shati Battalion who held seven hostages and invaded Israeli territory on October 7. This past weekend, Mahmoud Awad, a commander in Hamas's military wing involved in holding seven hostages in an underground tunnel, was eliminated.

In addition, this past Shabbos the IDF demolished the apartment of Muhammad al-Amudi, considered the likely successor to Yahya Sinwar in Hamas's leadership in Gaza. According to reports from the field, there were fatalities at the site, though official confirmation of al-Amudi's fate has not yet been received.

In September alone, the IDF and Shin Bet eliminated 70 Hamas terrorists, including three senior battalion commanders. In June, two senior commanders were killed, Ahmed Yahya Ibrahim Batash, commander of a Nukhba cell, and Hamuda Abu Daka, commander of Hamas's military intelligence unit.

Separately, the defense minister accepted the IDF's recommendation and ordered a general closure on Judea and Samaria and the sealing of Gaza crossings on Monday and Wednesday of this week. The decision was made in accordance with the security assessment and against the backdrop of memorial days marking the events of October 7.