Overview

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel eliminated Afana and described him as a Nukhba fighter who bragged about personally murdering 10 Israelis.
• The strike that killed him was reported to have taken place Thursday in Deir al-Balah, with Palestinian media first noting his death and Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirming it Saturday.
• Netanyahu added that Israeli officials called Afana’s family to inform them of his death, saying it signaled an intent to pursue all perpetrators of the Oct. 7 attacks.
• The phone call in which Afana boasted of killing 10 people was released in October 2023 by then–foreign minister Eli Cohen during a UN Security Council session.
• Some outlets reported that Afana’s brother was also killed in the strike, a detail that has been mentioned in limited sources and has not been widely corroborated.