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Nukhba forces

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This article is about Palestinian special forces unit. For other military units, see Nukhba (disambiguation).

Nukhba forces
قوات النخبة
Also known asAl-Nukhba
Leaders
Dates of operation2010–present
Country Palestine
Allegiance Hamas
HeadquartersGaza Strip
Active regions Palestine
 Israel
IdeologySunni Islamism
Palestinian nationalism
Palestinian self-determination
Anti-Zionism
Notable attacks2014 Zikim attack and October 7 attacks
Part ofHamas Al-Qassam Brigades
Opponents Israel
Battles and wars

The Nukhba forces (Arabic: قوات النخبة, romanized: Quwwāt an-Nukhba), Nukhba Force[2] or just (Al-)Nukhba (Arabic: النخبة, lit. 'the elite'; Hebrew: הנוח׳בה, romanized: HaNukhba) is the special forces unit of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.[3] The term is frequently used to refer to Hamas militants.[4] In 2024, the usage of the word roughly corresponds to "Hamas militant" or "Hamas commando".[5][4]

Israel claims the unit led the October 7 attacks on October 7, 2023, at the beginning of the Gaza war.[6]

Training

Nukhba members begin their land and sea-based training when they are 18 to 20 years old.[7]

History

Al-Qassam Brigades established a special forces unit after the 2008–2009 Gaza War.[3]

Nukhba members participated in the 2014 and 2021 conflicts with Israel, including the 2014 Zikim attack.[3]

In 2017, some members defected to join ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula.[8][9]

In 2020, Saudi news media reported that one of the Nukhba force's top officers had defected to Israel.[3]

Gaza war

Main article: Gaza war

October 7 attacks

On October 7, Hamas forces invaded Israel.[10][11] On October 12, 2023, the Jerusalem Post reported that Shin Bet had set up a new unit called Nili – an abbreviation of the Hebrew phrase Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker (transl. The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie) – tasked with hunting down Nukhba members.[12] They reported, "This force was specifically set up to target members of a special commando unit within Hamas's military wing called Nukhba ("elite")".[12] In October 2023, an IDF spokesman said that the Israeli air force have been specifically targeting Nukhba members: "We plan to get every one of those people".[13] According to the IDF, Ayman Nofal had responsibility for the Nukhba at the Be'eri massacre and Re'im music festival massacre.[14][15] On October 17 Nofal was killed in an airstrike that destroyed four apartment buildings, killing at least 70 other people.[16][17][14][15]

Israeli Invasion and occupation of the Gaza Strip

On 31 October 2023, Israel said that in its airstrike in the Jabalia refugee camp, it killed a top Hamas militant that directed Nukhba teams that attacked Israel on October 7. It added that his tunnel collapsed, causing adjacent buildings to collapse as well.[18]

On 1 January 2024, the IDF said that it killed company commander Adil Mismah of the Nukhba Force in an airstrike in Deir al-Balah.[19]

On 22 November 2024, the IDF and Shin Bet claimed to have killed five Hamas militants including Jihad Mahmoud Yahya Kahlout, a Nukhba forces company commander, and Muhammad Riad Ali Oukal, a Hamas company commander who participated in the 7 October attack in an air strike in Beit Lahia one day prior. Hamas said that Israeli attacks in Beit Lahia killed a total of 112 people, including 64 children and women.[20][21]

On 11 December 2024, the IDF said that it killed Fehmi Salmi, a commander of Nukhba forces of Hamas in a separate airstrike, saying that he was responsible for an attack on an IDF outpost on the border with Gaza which killed 14 Israeli soldiers during 7 October attack and led numerous attacks on soldiers operating in Gaza during the war.[22]

On 9 January 2025, the IDF said that it killed Osama Abu Namus, commander of Sabra Battalion of Hamas, which is part of its Gaza City Brigade who was Hamas's significant source of knowledge and was responsible for attacks targeting Israel and Israeli soldiers in Gaza, particularly soldiers operating in the Netzarim Corridor and Mohammed al-Tarq, the deputy commander of the battalion who previously served as the commander in a Nukhba force company in the battalion and was also responsible for attacks against soldiers in Netzarim Corridor, along with other militants in separate strikes. It also said that it killed two commanders in a Nukbha force company in the Sabra Battalion in recent air strikes, one of whom was responsible for supplying weapons.[23][24]

On 16 January 2025, the IDF said that it killed Hamas Nukhba force militant Muhammad Hashem Zahdi Abu al-Rous who took part in the Nova music festival massacre during the 7 October attacks in an airstrike in Gaza in the previous day.[25][26]

On 30 January, the IDF said that it killed Haytham Hazem Hijazi Rajab, a Hamas Nukhba force member in Shuja'iyya Battalion who participated in the Nahal Oz attack during the 7 October attacks and was involved in several additional attacks on soldiers in Gaza.[27]

On 4 April, the IDF said that it killed a Hamas Nukhba force company's deputy commander in a recent drone strike in north Gaza.[28][29]

On 15 April, the IDF and Shin Bet announced that they killed the commander of a cell in the Nukhba force's Deir al-Balah Battalion who participated in the 7 October attacks in a strike in central Gaza two weeks prior.[30]

On 29 April, the IDF and Shin Bet said that they killed a Hamas militant from the Nukhba forces in the Deir el-Balah Brigade who commanded the infiltration of Kissufim during the 7 October attacks and another Hamas militant who was the chief of operations in its Jabalia Brigade and directed attacks targeting Israeli forces in Gaza.[31]

On 21 May, the IDF said that the IAF struck more than 115 targets in Gaza in the last day including a drone strike in north Gaza which killed a Nukhba Force militant in its East Jabalia Battalion who participated in the 7 October attacks, rocket launchers, buildings used by militant groups, tunnels, other infrastructure, and militant cells. It added that the Israeli Navy also conducted shelling in north Gaza to assist ground forces operating in the area.[32]

On 26 May, the IDF said the IAF conducted more than 200 strikes in Gaza in last 48 hours. It also said that targets included militants, weapon depots, anti-tank and sniper positions, tunnel shafts, and other infrastructure. It added that its soldiers struck a building used by Hamas as a weapons depot, an observation post, and another structure used by the group, directed drone strikes on several militants spotted in buildings in the vicinity of its forces in south Gaza and launched an airstrike strike on a building where the Nukhba Force was operating in north Gaza.[33]

On 8 July, the IDF announced that it killed a Nukhba forces commander who participated in the 7 October attacks.[34]

On 13 August, the IDF announced that it killed the Nukhba Force's deputy commander in the central Jabalya battalion following a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet. It also said that the militant participated in the 7 October attacks and the abduction of three Israeli soldiers.[35]

On 20 August, the IDF announced that in the prior week in Khan Yunis it killed a Nukhba forces militant who participated in the 7 October attacks.[36]

On 2 September, the IDF said that it killed dozens of Hamas militants in north and central Gaza, including the Zaytoun Battalion's deputy company commander since 2024 as well as a Nukhba forces commander who participated in the 7 October attacks and destroyed militant structures in Shuja'iyya and Zaytun.[37]

On 9 September, the IDF said that a militant that commanded a Hamas Nukhba group in Beit Hanoun, and took part in the 7 October attacks, and took parts in raids that killed and injured IDF soldiers, was killed by the IDF, while he was planning and about to execute additional attacks against IDF.[38]

On 29 October, the Israeli Air Force said that it targeted a number of senior Hamas militants, including 21 commanders out of which one was a Nukhba Force commander.[39]

On 6 March 2026, the IDF said that its Golani Brigade in the past week killed eight Nukhba Force militants whom it accused of violating the truce.[40]

Confessions from captured militants

According to Israel's security service Shin Bet, captured Nukhba members were ordered to kill everyone they saw.[41] If they brought hostages back to Gaza they would be richly rewarded.[41]

According to footage the Israeli security services released of interrogation of purportedly captured Nukhba members, Hamas has been using medical facilities in the Gaza Strip, especially the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, to shield themselves from Israeli strikes and that the underground levels of the hospital are utilized for hiding resources like weapons and ammunition. Hamas denied these claims.[42]

Israeli officials have said that Palestinian prisoners of war who were tortured and sexually assaulted were members of the Nukhba and that this justified abuse against them.[4] For example, Knesset member Hanoch Milwidsky, from the Likud party, said: "If he is a Nukhba, everything is legitimate to do! Everything!" When responding to a question from Arab Israeli KM Ahmad Tibi's criticism of the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli soldiers.[5][4] Knesset member Simcha Rothman also commented on the Nukhba, "we see over and over again an enormous disconnect between the justice and enforcement agencies, who persecute reservists, heroic fighters, who left everything behind in order to protect us from the Nukhba terrorists, for whom 'animals' is a compliment".[5]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b On October 14, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces announced that Ali Al Qadi was killed in a drone attack.[43][44]
  2. ^ a b Killed by an airstrike on an apartment complex on October 17, 2023.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Israel kills another commander from Hamas' Nukhba forces". The Jerusalem Post. October 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Israeli Grief Specialist: 'We Don't Distinguish Between a Child in Gaza and Hamas' Nukhba Force'". Haaretz. June 27, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Milton-Edwards, Beverly and Stephen Farrell. HAMAS: The Quest for Power. John Wiley & Sons. 2024
  4. ^ a b c d Simon Speakman Cordall (August 9, 2024). "'Everything is legitimate': Israeli leaders defend soldiers accused of rape". Al Jazeera. Retrieved September 17, 2024. Hanoch Milwidsky, a member of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud party, responded: "If he is a Nukhba [Hamas militant], everything is legitimate to do! Everything!" …
  5. ^ a b c "Ministers, MKs criticize arrests of soldiers suspected of terrorist prisoner abuse". The Jerusalem Post. July 29, 2024. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Cook, Ellie (October 12, 2023). "'Elite' Hamas Unit Behind Saturday Massacre Targeted in Israel Air Strikes". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Israel, David (October 22, 2023). "Left Behind: Hamas Terrorist Who Participated in 10/7 Massacre Captured". The Jewish Press. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Rothwell, James (October 12, 2023). "Israel sets its sights on destroying Nukhba, the mysterious Hamas commando squad". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Issacharoff, Avi (February 7, 2017). "Elite Hamas fighters defecting to Islamic State". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Sheils McNamee, Michael (October 11, 2023). "Children among 17 Britons dead or missing in Israel". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Israeli death toll from Hamas shock onslaught reaches 1,300". Times of Israel. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Bohbot, Amir (October 22, 2023). "New Israeli unit has one goal: Kill all terrorists involved in massacre". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 23, 2023. "This force was specifically set up to target members of a special commando unit within Hamas's military wing called Nukhba ("elite") who infiltrated Israel, executed mass killings in various villages and IDF outposts, and then returned to the Gaza Strip."
  13. ^ Wong, Edward; Yazbek, Hiba (October 13, 2023). "Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Worsens as Israel Prepares a Possible Invasion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  14. ^ a b David Brennan Diplomatic (October 17, 2023). "Top Hamas commander killed in Israeli strike". Newsweek. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Rapaport, Amir (October 20, 2013). "Israel at War – End of Week 2: Eliminating Hamas' Nukhba Terrorists and Preparing for a Ground Operation". israeldefense.co.il. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Israel accused of using AI to choose Gaza targets (transcript of interview)". CBC (Canada). April 8, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024. Ayman Nofal. He was the commander of Gaza's central brigade. And the source claimed that the military knowingly authorized to kill 300 Palestinian civilians alongside this target. 300 people. …four multi-story buildings filled with apartments were bombed on the families that were inside. … they found 70 people dead in the first day, and for five days continuously, they took people out of the rubble.
  17. ^ Iraqi, Amjad (April 3, 2024). "'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing spree in Gaza". +972 Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2024. In order to assassinate Ayman Nofal, the commander of Hamas' Central Gaza Brigade, a source said the army authorized the killing of approximately 300 civilians, destroying several buildings in airstrikes on Al-Bureij refugee camp on Oct. 17, based on an imprecise pinpointing of Nofal.
  18. ^ "IDF says Jabaliya strike killed top Hamas commander, collapsed terror tunnels". The Times of Israel. October 31, 2023.
  19. ^ "IDF confirms death of Hamas leader involved in Oct 7 attack". Fox News. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "Palestine Welcomes War Crimes Arrest Warrants for Israeli Leaders". Al Jazeera. November 22, 2024.
  21. ^ "IDF says it killed terrorists who led massacres in Mefalsim area on Oct. 7". The Times of Israel. November 22, 2024.
  22. ^ "Israel- Gaza War: IDF Kills Hamas Paragliding Unit Commander". Asian News International. Retrieved December 11, 2024 – via Zee news.
  23. ^ "IDF says it killed Hamas battalion commander for Gaza City in recent strike". The Times of Israel. January 9, 2025.
  24. ^ "Israel Kills 50 People in Gaza Recovers Body of Captive from Rafah". Al Jazeera. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  25. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (January 16, 2025). "IDF: Hamas terrorist who participated in Nova festival massacre on Oct. 7 killed in overnight airstrike in Gaza". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  26. ^ "Celebrations in Gaza as Israel Hamas Reach Ceasefire Deal". Al Jazeera. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  27. ^ "IDF confirms killing two Hamas fighters who attacked base, abducted surveillance troops". The Times of Israel. January 30, 2025.
  28. ^ "IDF says a deputy commander of Hamas's Nukhba force killed in northern Gaza drone strike". The Times of Israel. April 4, 2025.
  29. ^ "Israel claims it has killed Hamas commander in north Gaza". Al Jazeera. April 4, 2025.
  30. ^ "IDF strike kills Hamas terrorist who took part in Oct. 7, hostage release ceremony". The Times of Israel. April 15, 2025.
  31. ^ "IDF says 3 key terrorists killed in recent strikes, including leader of Oct. 7 Kissufim attack". The Times of Israel. April 29, 2025.
  32. ^ "IDF says 115 Gaza targets hit over past day; Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist killed in recent airstrike". The Times of Israel. May 21, 2025.
  33. ^ "IDF says over 200 strikes carried out in Gaza over past 48 hours; terror operatives, weapons depots targeted". The Times of Israel. May 26, 2025.
  34. ^ "Israel says it kills Hamas commander involved in October 7 attacks". Al Jazeera. July 8, 2025.
  35. ^ "IDF: Hamas company commander who took part in October 7 attack, kidnapping of three Israelis, killed in Gaza strike". Haaretz. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  36. ^ "IDF says it killed an officer in Hamas' Nukhba, the commando unit heading Oct. 7". Haaretz. August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  37. ^ "IDF: Dozens of Hamas militants killed in Gaza, military targets struck". Haaretz. September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  38. ^ "הרמטכ"ל ללוחמים בעזה: "המלחמה לא נגמרה, אל תזלזלו באויב"". Channel 13. September 30, 2025.
  39. ^ "Israel's military says ceasefire is back on as death toll from overnight strikes in Gaza reaches 104". Associated Press. October 29, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  40. ^ "skicmuoyzx". Ynet. March 6, 2026.
  41. ^ a b "Kill, behead, rape: Interrogated Hamas members detail atrocities against civilians". Times of Israel. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  42. ^ Zitun, Yoav (October 28, 2023). "Detained terrorists admit Hamas using hospitals to shield themselves". Ynet. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  43. ^ "Hamas top commander Ali Qadi who led Oct 7 massacre eliminated, says Israeli Defence Force". Financial Express. October 14, 2023. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  44. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (October 14, 2023). "IDF kills two Hamas commanders in Gaza involved in murderous attack on south". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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