IDF Kfir Brigade Spots and Eliminates Hamas Nukhba Operatives in Gaza Airstrike on Day 2 of Renewed Campaign

The IDF reported on May 12, 2026 that ground troops from the Kfir Infantry Brigade operating inside Gaza identified Hamas Nukhba (elite force) operatives during Day 2 of the renewed military campaign and called in an Israeli Air Force airstrike that killed them. Nukhba fighters are the Hamas special operations forces responsible for leading the October 7, 2023 attacks including the breaches of kibbutz perimeter fences and the Nova music festival massacre. The IDF has maintained a standing targeting priority for Nukhba survivors since October 7. The strike is part of a broader pattern of targeted killing operations conducted simultaneously with large-scale ground activity — on May 4, the IDF had killed Ans Muhammad Ibrahim Hamed, a Nukhba commander who led part of the Nova music festival raid (where 378 were killed). The Kfir Brigade is one of several infantry units that Israeli authorities said would be deployed in the renewed offensive. The IDF said all strikes were conducted within areas declared as operational zones under the renewed war authorization.