RismadarVoice Reporters
September 28, 2026
Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian militant accused of participating in the abduction of Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or during the October 7, 2023 attack on the Nova music festival, according to the Israeli military.
The man was identified as Saher Nidal Latfi Sakr, whom Israeli authorities described as an operative affiliated with global jihadist organisations operating in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military and Shin Bet said Sakr was killed in a strike in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza.
According to Israeli authorities, Sakr entered Israel during the October 7 attack and drove the motorcycle used to take Argamani into Gaza after she and Or were abducted from the Nova festival.
Footage of the abduction circulated widely following the attack and became one of the most recognisable images associated with the hostage crisis.
Argamani was rescued by Israeli forces in June 2024 during an operation in central Gaza that also freed three other hostages.
Or remained in captivity until October 2025, when he was released as part of a ceasefire and hostage agreement.
Israeli authorities also alleged that Sakr supplied weapons to Hamas during the conflict and was subsequently involved in planning attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel alongside members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Those allegations and the Israeli military’s description of Sakr’s organisational affiliations have not been independently verified.
According to Israeli figures, Hamas and allied armed groups killed at least 370 people and abducted 44 others from the Nova music festival during the October 7 attack.
The Israeli military has continued operations aimed at locating people it says participated in the October 7 attacks and subsequent hostage-taking.
Sakr’s reported killing comes as Israeli military operations and tensions in Gaza continue, with competing accounts surrounding individual strikes and their circumstances.
