Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad: Gaza leader responsible for Bibas family murders killed in Israeli airstrike

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced the elimination of Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, a senior commander in the Palestinian Mujahideen Brigades, a smaller militant group allied with Hamas in Gaza. Awad was killed in a targeted airstrike in northern Gaza, which was a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency.

Israel held Awad responsible for the brutal attacks on Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which has led to the ongoing war in Gaza. That day, terrorists killed approximately 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages, including Shiri Bibas and her sons, Kfir (10 months) and Ariel (4 years). Israeli authorities say Awad personally oversaw the kidnapping.

The Nir Oz attack drew global outrage, particularly after harrowing images emerged of Shiri clutching her young sons during their capture. Israeli forensic assessments, conducted after recovering their bodies in February 2025 as part of a ceasefire and hostage deal, revealed that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel were murdered by their captors in November 2023. The investigation concluded they were killed “in cold blood” with “bare hands,” contradicting Hamas claim that they died in an Israeli airstrike.

The IDF said Awad was “likely involved” in their murders during the war’s early weeks. Shiri’s husband, Yarden Bibas, was abducted separately and forced by Hamas to appear in a propaganda video, where he was falsely told his family had perished in an Israeli strike—a claim Israel consistently refuted.

Awad’s terrorist activities extended beyond the Bibas family. He orchestrated the abductions and burials of US-Israeli nationals Judi Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai, both killed during the Nir Oz assault, as well as several Thai nationals taken hostage. Until his death, Awad remained active in recruiting operatives across the West Bank and Israel proper, directing attacks against Israelis. The Mujahideen Brigades confirmed his death, acknowledging his role as a senior military commander and head of its intelligence division, closely tied to the group’s leadership.

The airstrike occurred amid an escalating Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, following the collapse of a fragile two-month ceasefire with Hamas last month. After failed negotiations to extend the truce, Israel intensified its bombing campaign and ground operations, aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing remaining hostages.

On the same day as Awad’s killing, the IDF expanded its ground presence further in northern Gaza, issuing evacuation orders to Palestinians. This followed strikes on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood, which Gazan health authorities said resulted in dozens of deaths, including that of children. The IDF claimed the target was a Hamas command centre housing known militants, though no specific names were provided.

Hamas, meanwhile, issued a statement threatening the safety of the hostages still in its custody. The group said the captives were held in evacuation zones that endangered their lives. The latest cycle of violence has further worsened the plight of Gaza’s civilians, caught between the IDF’s aggression and Hamas’s intransigence.

Middle East