Israeli forces in Gaza have killed the Hamas terrorist who led the October 7 assault on the north-west Negev moshav of Netiv Ha’asara, the Israel Defence Forces and Israel Security Agency said on Tuesday.

Ahmed Wadia appeared in video footage captured from the October 7 attack drinking a Coca-Cola can from the fridge of the Taasa family home, moments after murdering Gil Taasa, 46, in front of his two youngest sons, Koren, 12, and Shai, 8. 

He sipped the Coke in front of the bleeding children before leaving the home. Koren and Shai then ran next door and hid in the safe room for hours before being evacuated.

Israeli fighter jets struck a Hamas compound near the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, killing eight terrorists from Hamas’s Daraj Tuffah Battalion, according to the joint statement by the IDF and ISA. Ahmed Wadia, a member of the terror group’s Nukhba force who led the invasion of Netiv Ha’asara – located directly adjacent to the Gaza fence – was killed in the strike.

Another terrorist killed in the strike, according to the IDF, was “responsible for several combat specialties in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion, including engineering, sniping and anti-tank operations, and was responsible for supplying the explosives used to blow up the security fence in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion’s area during the massacre”. 

On October 7, Wadia, who was active in Hamas’ parachute array, infiltrated the community using a paraglider and oversaw the massacre of 21 residents and the kidnapping of one to Gaza.

Gil Taasa, 46, who was murdered that day, was a senior firefighter in the Ashkelon fire station. On the morning of October 7, Taasa was at home with his two youngest sons, Koren and Shai. After he ran out of ammunition, the terrorists threw a grenade into the shelter where they were hiding. Taasa leapt on the grenade to save his sons, who were wounded but survived.

Taasa’s oldest son, Or, 17, was murdered by Hamas terrorists at Zikim Beach, where he had gone early in the morning to surf with friends.

“My sons are happy and that’s the most important thing,” said Gil’s widow, Sabine Taasa, after receiving the news of Wadia’s death, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

“My son Koren told me he wanted to see a picture of [Wadia] dead. I personally will close the circle only after I know that all Hamas members and [Hamas leader in Gaza Yayha] Sinwar have been eliminated,” she added.