A militant identified as Saher Nidal Saqr, who was allegedly involved in abducting two Israeli hostages during the October 7, 2023, attack, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip this week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday.
Clips showing the abduction of former hostages Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or from the Nova music festival became some of the most widely shared footage from the attack. Argamani was rescued by the IDF in 2024, while Or was released from Gaza last year.
Who was Saher Nidal Saqr?
Saher Nidal Saqr was identified as the man who abducted Argamani and Avinatan Or from the Nova music festival and took them to Gaza on a motorcycle during the attack. Footage also showed Argamani reaching out desperately towards Or as he was taken into captivity.
The Israeli military said Saqr had provided weapons to Hamas during the war and had also helped carry out attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.
“ELIMINATED: Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr, a terrorist operative affiliated with global jihadist organizations operating in Gaza. Among other activities, he supplied weapons to Hamas during the war,” the IDF said in a statement posted on X.
“Recently, Sakr advanced attacks targeting Israeli civilians & IDF troops. He was eliminated in order to remove the threat he posed,” it added.
Notably, Argamani was rescued from Gaza on June 8, 2024. She was rescued along with Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv. Or was released in October 2025 as part of the Gaza deal backed by US President Donald Trump.
The IDF also said on Sunday that Muhammad Hamad Muhammad Gabain, a Hamas commander who had held nine other Israeli hostages captive, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip last week.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza war crosses 74,000
Meanwhile, the Palestinian death toll in the nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has crossed 74,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The ministry said on Saturday that the death toll had reached 74,016, while 175,068 people had been wounded.
A ceasefire that began on October 10 has stopped the heaviest fighting, but Israeli strikes have continued, with the military claiming they are carried out in response to threats or attacks.
The ministry said 1,145 Palestinians had been killed since the ceasefire began, as per the ministry.
