Israeli military says it killed Palestinian militant held hostage Romi Braslasky

The Israeli Defence Force has announced that Mahmoud Fatayir, a commander in the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was killed in an airstrike over the weekend in the Deir al-Balah area of Gaza. The military said Fatayir was responsible for the 7 October attacks and played a role in holding hostage Romi Braslasky, an Israeli civilian, as well as participating in hostage handover ceremonies. Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Central Camps Battalion, of which Fatayir was a senior commander, was directly involved in the coordinated assault on Israel that triggered the current conflict. The airstrike represents one of numerous Israeli military operations targeting senior leaders of Palestinian armed groups whom the IDF accuses of involvement in the October 7 attacks and subsequent hostage-taking. Braslasky, an Israeli national, has been among those held captive in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, with her status and location becoming a focus of international efforts to secure the release of hostages held by various Palestinian militant organisations.

Source: Walla News — Original article in Hebrew.