IDF and Shin Bet say slain Hamas northern Gaza commander held Israeli hostages

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA), also known as the Shin Bet, said in a joint announcement that the man who led Hamas's Northern Gaza Brigade until an Israeli strike this week had been in charge of holding Israeli hostages during the war. According to the IDF spokesperson, the man was Izz al-Din Bik, and the finding came after what the military called "extensive intelligence research."

The two agencies also said Bik took part in, and commanded, the cross-border infiltration into Israel on the morning of October 7. The Times of Israel reported that he died in an Israeli strike on Gaza City, giving the date as September 29, 2026, and spelling his name Izz al-Din al-Bik.

Who the IDF says was in his custody

The military named a long list of hostages it says were held under Bik's responsibility. In no particular order, they are Shani Louk, Hisham al-Sayed, Sergeant Ron Sherman, Mia Schem, Hanan Yablonka, Uriel Baruch, Staff Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi, Elia Toledano, Orion Hernandez, Amit Buskila, Yitzhak Gelerenter, Corporal Nik Beizer, Michel Nisenbaum, Ron Benjamin and Eitan Levy. The same names appear in the IDF's post on X and in the Times of Israel account.

The announcement does not describe the conditions in which these people were held, where they were kept, or what happened to each of them. This report does not add details on their fates that the announcement itself does not provide.

The ISA and the Northern Gaza Brigade

The ISA, known in Hebrew by the acronym Shabak and widely called the Shin Bet, is Israel's domestic security and intelligence service. It and the military often issue joint statements when a senior militant is killed.

Hamas organises its armed wing into regional brigades. The Northern Gaza Brigade covers the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the area that includes Gaza City, where the strike took place. According to the military and to Hamas, as cited by the Times of Israel, Bik had led the brigade since Israel killed his predecessor, Ahmed Ghandour, on November 10, 2023. The IDF said he held a number of other senior posts before taking command of the brigade.

The Nukhba connection

Israel's N12 news reported, citing the joint statement, that Bik was among the founders of the Nukhba network in the northern Gaza Strip. Nukhba, an Arabic word meaning "elite," is the name of Hamas's commando units, which Israel associates with the October 7 attack. N12 also reported that he took part in the raid into Israel on that day, a point echoed by the IDF's own post on X and by a Ynet news alert, which said he had infiltrated Israel on October 7.

When the strike happened

The reports differ slightly on timing. The IDF said Bik was eliminated earlier this week, on Tuesday, and the Times of Israel liveblog gave the date of the killing as September 29, 2026. A message from Emanuel Fabian, the Times of Israel military correspondent, described the IDF and Shin Bet as confirming the killing in a Gaza City strike "overnight." The fuller accounts, including Fabian's own post on X and the Times of Israel article, place the strike earlier in the week, with the new element of the announcement being the claim about the hostages rather than the killing itself.

The spelling of his name also varies: the IDF uses Izz al-Din Bik, while the Times of Israel uses al-Bik. Hebrew-language outlets render it in Hebrew script.

What the reports do not say

The announcement does not explain what intelligence led to the conclusion that Bik oversaw the hostages, or when that conclusion was reached. It does not say whether any other people were killed or hurt in the strike in Gaza City. None of the reports include a response from Hamas to the specific claims about the hostages, although the Times of Israel cites Hamas on the timing of Bik's appointment. The reports also do not say who, if anyone, has replaced him as brigade commander. The claims about his role in holding hostages and in the October 7 attack rest on the joint IDF and ISA statement and have not been independently confirmed in any of the reports.