IDF Says It Killed Hamas Commander Muhammad Suleiman Byouk, an October 7 Infiltrator, in Khan Younis Strike

The IDF and Shin Bet announced on Saturday, September 19, 2026 that they had killed Muhammad Suleiman Byouk, a commander in Hamas's military wing, in a strike in the Khan Younis area the previous Thursday (September 17). The military said Byouk infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7, 2023 massacre and had since planted explosive devices across Gaza to target IDF troops, planned and advanced attacks against soldiers and Israeli civilians, and worked to rehabilitate Hamas and prepare it for continued operations — all in what the IDF called systematic violation of the ceasefire. The IDF said it used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to mitigate harm to civilians, and that Byouk was eliminated 'in order to remove the threat he posed.'