The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Wednesday that Musbah Salim Musbah Dayyah, the head of the Mujahideen terror group in Gaza, was killed in a joint strike carried out with the Shin Bet security agency.
Dayyah, who operated in the Nuseirat area, played a central role in orchestrating terror attacks in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The Mujahideen group, formally known as Kataib al-Mujahideen, was deeply involved in the October 7 massacre, where its operatives carried out abductions and killings.
According to Jerusalem Post, the organization was also directly responsible for holding the Bibas family hostage.
Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Kfir and Ariel, were abducted and murdered by the group, along with Israeli-American-Canadian couple Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gad Haggai, as well as several foreign workers from Thailand.
Dayyah’s death marks the fourth elimination of a Mujahideen commander in recent months.
Earlier strikes killed the group’s military wing chief, Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail (Abu al-Mu’tasim), and As’ad Abu Sharaiya, another senior leader.
The repeated targeting of its leadership reflects Israel’s efforts to dismantle the organization, described by security officials as small but highly lethal and compartmentalized, making it difficult to monitor.
The Mujahideen group emerged during the Second Intifada, founded by militants who split from Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and embraced a radical Salafi ideology.
Its founding commander, Omar Abu Sharaiya, was killed in 2006 in an Israeli targeted strike, after which leadership remained within his family.
Despite its size, the group gained notoriety for its brutality and direct participation in the October 7 atrocities. Israeli officials say the removal of Dayyah and his predecessors significantly weakens the group’s command structure, though remnants remain active in Gaza.
Love Reading Authentic News Stories, Click The Button Below
