The IDF announced on Wednesday that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad official it had killed earlier in the day was one of the most senior it has assassinated since the October 2025 ceasefire.

According to the military, Ali Raziana commanded PIJ’s entire influential Northern Gaza Brigade, was a member of its military high command, and was a key coordinator with Hamas for carrying out terror attacks against IDF troops.

Many of the Gazan officials the IDF has killed since the ceasefire have been mid-level commanders of a company (between 50 to a couple hundred fighters) or a battalion (around 1,000), but few have been near the level of a brigade commander (potentially thousands of fighters.)

Ali Raziana killed

The IDF said, “In response to the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement overnight (Wednesday), the IDF and ISA [Shin Bet] struck and eliminated the terrorist Ali Raziana, who served as the commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade in the Islamic Jihad terror organization.”

“In his role, Raziana was responsible for the deployment of the organization’s terrorists and the defense plan of the Islamic Jihad’s Northern Gaza Brigade and participated in the terrorist organization’s military council. Additionally, he was responsible for coordinating with Hamas to advance and execute terror attacks against IDF troops,” said the military.

IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip on September 20, 2025.
IDF soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip on September 20, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Moreover, the IDF stated, “Throughout the war, Raziana oversaw the holding of hostages in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terror organization in the northern Gaza Strip, and since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, he operated to reestablish the Northern Gaza Brigade.”

The only more senior Gaza official killed since the ceasefire was Raad Saad, Hamas’s number two, who was killed in mid-December 2025.

The IDF also confirmed the elimination of the Hamas Nukhba Platoon commander, who was targeted early on Wednesday in the southern Gaza Strip.

“These strikes targeted terrorists involved in severe attacks against the State of Israel and its civilians. The IDF and ISA will continue to operate against any attempt to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians,” said the military.

Israel kills terrorist who murdered Noa Marciano in Hamas captivity 

Also on Wednesday, the IDF and Shin Bet announced the killing of Muhammad Issam Hassan al-Habil, who murdered IDF Cpl. Noa Marciano.

Shin Bet interrogations revealed that al-Habil murdered Marciano, an IDF observer, while she was in captivity, after she was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz IDF base on October 7, 2023.

“This elimination brings closure for the Marciano family and to the IDF and ISA,” Israeli security forces said in their official statement.

Maya Zanger-Nadis contributed to this report.