IDF confirms death of Hamas terrorist who held six hostages
Zaid Zaki Abd al-Hadi was killed in an attack carried out on October 29, 2025, thanks to a joint operation of the IDF and Shin Bet.
The IDF killed terrorist Zayd Zaki AbdulHadi Aql in an attack on October 29, the army confirmed on Wednesday.
Hadi Aql was involved in the captivity of six hostages in Gaza: Bar Kuperstein, Ohad Ben AmiMaxim Herkin, Elkana Bohbot, Segev Kalfon and Yosef-Haim Ohana.
In response to his death, Kalfon described himself as a troll and said, “He was not an ordinary terrorist, he was the gateway to hell. The pit into which we were lowered was his home; it was the place where our life above ground ended and we reached a depth that no one can know.”
“There he watched and encouraged the ‘game of life’: they stood around us, counted us, aimed the Kalashnikovs, opened the safety catch and asked us to decide which three of us would be executed.”
Kalfon concluded his words as follows: “Some will say ‘He got what he deserved’, but the pursuit of truth and justice must continue. No bullet that eliminates a terrorist closes any story.”
Terrorist Zaid Zaki Abd al-Hadi Aql was killed by the IDF. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
In September, the IDF confirmed that security forces killed Hamas terrorist Hazem Awni Naeem, who was holding Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Naama Levy hostage.
Naeem was killed in a coordinated attack by the IDF and Shin Bet in the Gaza City area on August 28.
The other terrorist who held Damari hostage was killed
Another Hamas terrorist who held Damari and others captive, Mohammed Nasser Ali Qanita, was confirmed to have been killed by the IDF and Shin Bet in July following a targeted attack in mid-June.
Qanita was a member of the Furqan Battalion, affiliated with Hamas’ military intelligence. He infiltrated Israel on October 7 and held Damari hostage in his home at the start of the war.
