Israel’s military and domestic intelligence service said on Thursday that Hamas militants who abducted former hostages Noa Argamani, Avinatan Or and Eitan Mor during the October 7, 2023 Nova music festival were killed in strikes in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet made the joint announcement amid continuing political and public debate over the state’s handling of the attack and its aftermath.

The confirmation pertains specifically to perpetrators of some of the most notorious incidents on October 7, when militants launched a multi-front assault that included an attack on the festival site. Argamani, Or and Mor were among the civilians seized during that onslaught and later released or freed in subsequent developments. The agencies said the militants responsible for their abduction, as well as other participants in the October 7 attacks, were targeted in operations that took place months into the subsequent Gaza campaign.

The announcement comes against a fraught domestic backdrop. Bereaved families and relatives of those killed and taken captive by Hamas have campaigned for a comprehensive state inquiry into the preparedness of Israel’s security and emergency services. That push intensified this week after a Knesset panel declined to open a state inquiry into the events of October 7, prompting fresh outrage from families and opposition figures who argue that systemic failures have yet to be fully examined.

Intelligence officials have emphasized that confirming the identities and fates of the perpetrators matters for forensic accounting of the attack and for future prosecutions or military assessments. The strikes cited by the IDF and Shin Bet were described as part of a broader targeting campaign against Hamas operatives operating in Gaza, reflecting continued efforts by Israeli security forces to degrade the organization’s capabilities.

Analysts say this kind of confirmation serves several purposes: it provides a measure of closure about the whereabouts of some perpetrators, bolsters the narrative of operational success by Israeli forces, and feeds political pressure at home to demonstrate action. Yet it also highlights unresolved questions about strategic objectives in Gaza and the limits of military measures to address broader political grievances that fuel recurrent cycles of violence.

For families of victims and abductees, information about who carried out specific crimes and whether those individuals have been neutralized is deeply personal. But for policymakers, the announcement is likely to refocus debates on accountability, intelligence failures and the adequacy of post‑attack reforms. With the memory of October 7 still shaping Israeli politics and security planning, the confirmation by the IDF and Shin Bet will be one of several facts weighed by committees and courts now deliberating on how to respond to the catastrophe and prevent a recurrence.