In response to reports about the killing of journalists Hamza al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Taria in Gaza, the IDF press service released intelligence data and a document indicating that the individuals in question were militants associated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, actively participating in combat operations.
Hamza al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Taria were neutralized while operating unmanned vehicles that posed a genuine threat to IDF forces.
According to intelligence reports, Mustafa Taria was a member of a Hamas cell in Gaza City. A document recovered during the fighting in the Gaza Strip, outlining the structure of the Al-Qadisiya unit, identifies him as the deputy commander of the unit.
Hamza al-Dahdouh was identified as a member of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, actively involved in terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.
Documents recovered in the Gaza Strip reveal his affiliation with the electronic engineering unit of Islamic Jihad. The same document indicates his prior role as a deputy platoon commander in the Zeitoun battalion, and at the outbreak of the conflict, he was listed in the missile unit of the Islamic Jihad.