Some hopeful news came out from the IDF on Friday. The world was recently appalled to learn that Hamas terrorists had not only kidnapped the Bibas family, but that Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were killed. Their deaths were confirmed in February, with Ariel and Kfir being only 4-years-old and 10-months, respectively, when they were murdered in Gaza. The terrorist identified as Mohammad Awad, who was likely responsible for abducting and murdering the mother and her young children, has now been killed by the IDF and Shin Bet in a targeted attack.
🔴 Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, one of the terrorists that was likely involved in the abduction of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, has been eliminated.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 4, 2025
Awad was a senior commander in the Military Intelligence Array in Gaza and affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/1VvMBKKUyT
As The Jerusalem Post reported about the terrorist's death from Friday:
The IDF and Shin Bet struck and eliminated Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, a senior commander in the Military Intelligence Array in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Friday.
He was affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization.
On October 7, Awad infiltrated the Israeli community of Nir Oz multiple times. He was one of the leaders of the massacre and was likely personally involved in the abductions and brutal murders of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas.
The targeting and death of Awad has been a trending topic over X on Friday, with a focus on the role he played in the tragic fate befalling members of the Bibas family.
In February, the coffins of Kfir, Ariel, and that believed to have been of Shiri were paraded through Gaza while Palestinian "civilians" cheered before being handed over to the Red Cross, which has otherwise been useless in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The terrorists added insult to injury by switching the coffins of the young children, as well as adding propaganda to their coffins, with "date of arrest" listed. While the bodies were confirmed to be of Kfir and Ariel, the coffin that was supposed to be containing their mother was that of a random Palestinian woman. Hamas eventually sent Shiri's body back, days later.
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Although propaganda put out by Hamas, and picked up by outlets such as the Associated Press, claimed that the family members had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, it was confirmed once the bodies were returned that the young boys had been strangled to death in Gaza. Their bodies were then mutilated to make it look as if they had been killed in the airstrike.
Shiri's husband and the boys' father, Yarden Bibas, was also taken hostage on October 7. He returned home on February 1.
Awad was not only involved in going after the Bibas family, but also other victims from October 7, as well as other assaults against Israel. As The Jerusalem Post also mentioned:
Additionally, he played a role in the abduction and burial of Gaddi Haggai and Judy Weinstein. He was also involved in the abductions of Thai citizens.
Additional terror attacks
As part of his role in the terrorist organization, Awad actively recruited operatives in the West Bank and within Israel, using them to plan and carry out attacks against Israelis until his death.
During the war, the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization, with Awad as a key figure, carried out multiple terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip.
The death of Awad is not the only reason that the Bibas family has been trending on X, though. The Academy of Hebrew Language has renamed the Jerusalem fritillary butterfly to the Ariel fritillary. In Hebrew, the butterfly will be known as Kitmit Ariel.
The IDF revealed over X that another Hamas operative had been killed as well. Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Bardawil was described as "a propaganda and psychological terror operative in Hamas' military wing," with the IDF also pointing out that he was commonly referred to as a journalist. "While he was referred to as a well-known journalist in Gaza, he was an integral part of Hamas’ incitement," the post also mentioned.
🔴 Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Bardawil, a propaganda and psychological terror operative in Hamas' military wing, was eliminated.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 4, 2025
Bardawil played a central role in Hamas’ propaganda apparatus, spreading false information, leveraging media as a tool for psychological terror and… pic.twitter.com/n5KODW4peI
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