Today, Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced 20 more commanders killed in Gaza, including journalists, the head of therapeutic nutrition at Nasser Hospital, and other figures. A few highlights below and a summary: 🧵
Ayman Suleiman Abu Tayr (ID#: 801367459, age 39), a commander in PIJ’s Central Operations Unit, was also a licensed nurse and the head of Nasser Hospital’s Therapeutic Nutrition Unit. He was killed in a June 2025 airstrike.
Alaa Sobh Hamouda al-Hour (ID#: 803500826, age 31), a commander in PIJ’s Financial Administration Unit, was also a psychological counselor at the government-run Muin Bseiso elementary school in Khan Younis. al-Hour was killed in an October 2023, airstrike.
Zakaria Fathi Musleh Abu Ghali (ID#: 800705998, age 36), a commander in PIJ’s Central Military Media Unit, was also a journalist for the PIJ-affiliated al-Quds al-Youm. Abu Ghali is not listed by the CPJ or IFJ as a journalist, but he is by other trackers. He was killed in a February 2024 airstrike.
Sami Musa Abdulkarim Daoud (ID#: 801556390, age 39), a commander in PIJ’s Central Information Unit, was also a cameraman for the government-run Rawafed educational channel. He is not listed as a journalist by the CPJ or IFJ, but is by other trackers.
Mohammed Fayez Abd al-Hassani (ID#: 803140169, age 34), a commander in PIJ’s Central Operations Unit, was also the executive director of the Rawasi Palestine Foundation and a journalist who wrote occasional articles. He was killed in an October 2023 airstrike, and is not listed by the CPJ, but by the IFJ and some other trackers.
Some other interesting details: Zaki Ishtawi Mohammed al-Masri (ID#: 931661839, age 42), signal corps commander in PIJ's Central Brigade, was killed in an airstrike in the al-Aqsa hospital courtyard in September 2024.
Meanwhile, Samer Shehadeh Jabr al-Nuwairi (ID#: 400764163, age 29), commander in PIJ's Central Information Unit, was killed in a strike near a soup kitchen operated by the Qawatef al-Khair foundation, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. for ties to Hamas.
In sum, of 20 PIJ commanders:
- 11 are tied to central PIJ units
- 9 are unit heads at the brigade level
5/20 have a known dual civilian role including:
- 3 journalists/media workers
- 1 medical worker — the head of Nasser Hospital’s therapeutic nutrition department
- 1 medical/educational worker — a psychological counselor at a government-run school
All 20 commanders can be found on the November 2025 MOH death toll list.
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On May 6, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published another set of 17 of their slain commanders in Gaza, bringing the total identified since February to 292. This set includes journalists, health and education workers, and police and internal security personnel. 🧵
PIJ confirmed prior reporting first done by @MiddleEastBuka that Mohammed al-Saeed Ismail Abu Sakhil (ID#: 803231604, age 32), a journalist for the Sawt al-Quds Radio station, was a platoon commander in PIJ’s Financial Administration Unit in the Gaza Brigade. Both Sakhil and his brother (another journalist) were killed in fighting in and near Shifa Hospital in March-April 2024. x.com/GabrielEpstein…
Mohammed Abdulnasser Mohammed al-Masri (ID#: 802443788, age 33), a teacher and the husband of journalist Salam Khalil Mohammed Mayma (ID#: 802820001, age 32), was a commander in PIJ’s Central Coordination Unit in the Northern Brigade. Both al-Masri and Mayma, along with their three children, were killed in an October 2023 airstrike. More detail on their case is here: x.com/GabrielEpstein…
The likely target of an Oct 10, 2023 airstrike in Gaza that killed journalist Salam Khalil Mohammed Mayma (ID#: 802820001, age 32): her husband, PIJ commander Mohammed Abdulnasser Mohammed al-Masri (ID#: 802443788, age 33). 🧵
Today, PIJ claimed al-Masri as a commander in its Central Coordination Unit in the Northern Brigade. al-Masri was also a teacher at multiple schools, including a stretch at the Adnan al-Alami Secondary School for Boys in al-Shati neighborhood in Gaza City. al-Masri and Mayma reportedly wed in 2015.
Salam Khalil Mayma is included on the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Federation of Journalists, and the Hamas-run Government Media Office’s list of slain journalists in Gaza, as well as outside trackers.
Mayma was the head of the Women Journalists Committee at the Palestinian Media Assembly, which CPJ identified as a PIJ-affiliated body. CPJ lists her as a freelance journalist, while IFJ identifies her as a reporter for the PIJ-affiliated al-Quds Radio.
On May 2, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published another set of 22 of their slain commanders in Gaza, bringing the total identified since February to 275. This set, which focuses largely on those is “specialized” roles, includes health, education, and sports workers.🧵
Raed Musa Ramadan al-Banna (ID#: 910736529, age 52), an administrative clerk at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was a platoon commander in PIJ’s al-Jadida Battalion in the Gaza Brigade. al-Banna was killed in an October 2023 airstrike, which @MiddleEastBuka identified as the same strike which killed journalist Nazmi al-Nadim.
Shadi Rafiq Misbah Ayyad (ID#: 804454544, age 31), a teacher in the East Gaza Education Directorate, was a Platoon Commander in the Training Department of PIJ’s Gaza Brigade. Ayyad was killed in June 2025.
Yesterday (4/26), Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published another set of 22 of their slain commanders in Gaza, bringing the total identified since February to 253. This addition includes civil defense and healthcare workers in dual roles, as well as lawyers.🧵
Ahmed Ismail Ahmed al-Buraim (ID#: 8800154916, age 43), a first lieutenant in Gaza’s Civil Defense, was also a platoon commander in PIJ’s Central Communications Unit in the Central Brigade.
He was killed in a July 2025 airstrike, alongside his son Mohammed Ahmed Ismail al-Buraim (ID#: 429672884, age 15), who appears to have been a child combatant based on videos posted to social media by his mother which show both Ahmed and Mohammed armed and in military uniform.
Tamer Mohammed Salman al-Humaidi (ID#: 906613740, age 42), an administrative services worker at al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, was a PIJ platoon commander within the weapons portfolio in the Central Brigade. He was killed in May 2024.
In the last two days, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has identified 22 more slain commanders in Gaza, bringing the total claimed directly by the group in the last two months to 231. This tranche includes the Gaza director of Turkish NGO IHH and an imam. 🧵
Ahmed Kamel Abdulaziz Ayyad (ID#: 801489725, age 39) was the deputy commander of the al-Turkmen Battalion in PIJ’s Gaza Brigade. He was killed in a July 2025 airstrike.
Mohammed Jamal Faraj al-Mubayyad (ID#: 800691495, age 38) was a commander in PIJ’s Central Mobilization Unit in the Gaza Brigade, as well as the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation’s program director in Gaza. I analyzed the strike he was killed in last month.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) identified 43 more slain commanders, totaling 209 announcements in the past 2 months. Most of this tranche are platoon-level commanders and were killed in the first year of the war. The list includes 6 workers for the Hamas-run government. 🧵
Ahmed Jamal Khaled al-Bahtini (ID#: 801485285, age 37), the deputy commander of PIJ’s Darj al-Tuffah Battalion in the Gaza Brigade, was killed in an October 2023 airstrike. The extended al-Bahtini family is prominent in PIJ: Khalil Salah al-Bahtini was the group’s military leader in northern Gaza and was killed during the May 2023 Israel-PIJ conflict.
Ahmed Mohammed Hussein Abu al-Qumsan (ID#: 801250820, age 35), the deputy commander of PIJ’s al-Radwan and al-Nasser Battalion in the Gaza Brigade, was killed in an October 2024 airstrike.