Allied Intelligence — 2026-07-13

Secretive Israeli Nili Unit Composed of Shin Bet and IDF Elements Has Killed Over 2500 October 7 Terrorists

BLUFNili's institutionalization as a standing fusion cell signals Israel intends an open-ended individual accountability campaign in Gaza that outlasts any ceasefire or political settlement.

Israeli security forces have killed 2,561 of the roughly 3,000 terrorists who crossed into Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, according to a Channel 12 report published Friday night and cited by JNS 1. About 1,000 died in combat during the first week of fighting in the northwestern Negev, while the remainder were tracked down by Nili, a unit formed after the attack combining Shin Bet and IDF elements and named for a World War I-era Jewish underground acronym 1. The Shin Bet estimates several hundred participants in the October 7 attacks remain alive and says the hunt continues; JNS reported a joint IDF-Shin Bet strike killed Nukhba cell commander Yahya Hamdan, who had infiltrated the Re'im military base, on Thursday, and a separate strike killed hostage-holding participant Waheed Abu Salam on Tuesday 1. RedState separately reported the unit relies on facial recognition software, electronic surveillance, and prisoner interrogations to identify suspects 2.

Analysis
Israel has converted the October 7 manhunt into standing policy rather than a closing chapter, with Nili's Shin Bet-IDF fusion sustaining periodic targeted strikes inside Gaza as long as several hundred participants remain unaccounted for. Dependence on prisoner interrogation as a lead source ties future strike tempo to detentions elsewhere in the campaign, while fugitives' use of assumed identities will slow, not stop, the tracking effort. Channel 12 supplies the sole primary account, with JNS and RedState offering downstream pickup, leaving the casualty tally uncorroborated by any outlet independent of Israeli broadcast media. The public figure may function as a deterrence signal aimed at remaining fugitives rather than a precise operational accounting.

3 sources

Israel has slain 2,561 terrorists who invaded on Oct. 7—report - JNS (Jewish News Syndicate)
Secretive Israeli Unit Kills Over 2,500 October 7 Hamas Terrorists - RedState
⁨צדים את כולם: עד כה חוסלו 2,561 ממחבלי טבח 7 באוקטובר ("Hunting them all: 2,561 of the October 7 massacre terrorists eliminated so far")⁩ - N12 (Channel 12 News, Israel)