The IDF and Shin Bet killed Mohammed Naim Jundiya on Wednesday in an operation in northern Gaza, the military confirmed, identifying him as the commander who oversaw the terrorists holding three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly killed by IDF fire during a botched escape attempt in December 2023.
Jundiya served as head of military security for the Shejaiya Battalion within Hamas's armed wing. According to the IDF, he carried a long and violent history against Israeli civilians and soldiers dating back to October 7, when he led the Nukhba unit that raided Kibbutz Nahal Oz and took part directly in the kidnapping of Captain Daniel Peretz.
As the war continued, Jundiya was the figure directly responsible for holding hostages Yotam Haim, Samer Al-Talalka, and Alon Shamriz in Hamas captivity. The three were held under his command inside an underground tunnel belonging to the Shejaiya Battalion until the tragedy in which Israeli forces mistakenly shot and killed them as they attempted to escape captivity, a case that became one of the most painful friendly fire incidents of the war and prompted a formal IDF investigation at the time.
Beyond his role in their captivity, Jundiya was also known as one of the prominent masked operatives who took part in Hamas's staged ceremonies during the earlier hostage release deals. In his senior role within the battalion, he continued in recent months to try to advance complex terror plots against IDF forces operating in Gaza.
An IDF spokesperson said forces under Southern Command are currently deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement, and will continue to act decisively at all times to remove any immediate threat.
