IDF kills PIJ commander involved in Oct. 7, holding Rom Braslavski hostage

The IDF killed Mahmoud Fatair, a PIJ commander in the Central Gaza Brigade, in strikes in Deir al-Balah over the weekend. Fatair was accused of infiltrating Israel on October 7 and holding Rom Braslavski hostage. Braslavski responded to the killing in a video, saying 'The IDF has killed another one who destroyed my soul.'

The IDF confirmed on Monday that it killed Mahmoud Fatair, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander in the Central Gaza Brigade, in strikes in the Deir al-Balah area over the weekend. Fatair was accused of infiltrating Israel on October 7 and taking part in holding Rom Braslavski hostage. More recently, he had reportedly attempted to advance terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians. In November 2023, Fatair was documented wearing the Islamic Jihad uniform during a hostage handover ceremony involving several hostages. Following the announcement, Braslavski posted a video on X/Twitter, speaking in Arabic to Hamas and PIJ terrorists, saying, 'The IDF has killed another one who destroyed my soul' and 'You did whatever you wanted, but now you are dying one after the other – and there will be none of you left.' Braslavski was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, where he fought off terrorists with stones. He was released in October 2025 after 738 days in captivity and was the first male hostage to reveal he had been sexually abused during his captivity.