IDF Confirms Killing of Hamas Nukhba Fighter Ismail Qandil, Tied to Oct. 7 Killing of Nahal Brigade Commander

The IDF announced on September 10, 2026 that it had killed Ismail Ibrahim Darwish Qandil, a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba Force, in a strike near Khan Younis in southern Gaza roughly three days earlier (around September 7). The military said Qandil infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7, 2023 attack and took part in the killing of Nahal Brigade commander Col. Yonatan Steinberg, and that he had more recently been advancing attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians and working to rebuild Hamas's military capabilities in violation of the October 2025 ceasefire. No Palestinian or Hamas confirmation of the strike or Qandil's role was available at time of reporting.