Israel’s specialized NILI task force has eliminated 2,561 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, according to newly disclosed security figures. The Shin Bet estimates that several hundred additional participants remain alive, and the hunt for them is continuing.

Approximately 1,000 of the terrorists included in the count were killed during the initial battles inside southern Israel, as Israeli forces fought to retake invaded communities, military bases and major roads on Oct. 7 and 8. The remaining terrorists were tracked and eliminated during subsequent operations in Gaza.

Four Oct. 7 terrorists were eliminated over the past week alone. Among them was Yahya Hamdan, a Hamas Nukhba cell commander who led terrorists into the Re’im military base during the invasion. The IDF said Hamdan had recently been planning attacks against Israeli troops and working to restore Hamas’s operational capabilities before he was killed in a precision strike in southern Gaza.

Another target, Waheed Abu Salam, previously commanded Hamas’s Western Company in Khan Yunis. Israeli authorities said he invaded Israel during the massacre, participated in the abduction of Israeli civilians and later helped hold hostages captive in southern Gaza. He was also involved in rebuilding weapons capabilities intended for attacks against IDF troops.

NILI was established by the IDF and Shin Bet after the massacre with a sweeping mission, identify, capture or eliminate every terrorist involved, from the Hamas commanders who planned the assault to the gunmen, kidnappers and drivers who crossed into Israel. Its name is an acronym for the Hebrew phrase “Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker,” meaning “The Eternal One of Israel will not lie.”

The operation combines conventional intelligence with advanced technology. Investigators have analyzed footage recorded by terrorists’ GoPro cameras, surveillance systems in Israeli communities and videos uploaded to social media. Facial-recognition systems, intercepted communications, cellular-location data and interrogations of captured terrorists have also been used to build the target list. According to an earlier Wall Street Journal investigation, at least two pieces of evidence were required to establish that an individual participated in the atrocities.

The campaign reaches far beyond Hamas’s senior leadership. Israel has already eliminated many of the architects of the massacre, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, but NILI’s mandate also covers lower-ranking terrorists directly involved in murder, rape, kidnapping and the breach of Israel’s border. No participant is considered too insignificant to pursue.

The new figures emerged as Israel reportedly decided to reinforce its forces in Gaza and intensify operations against Hamas, which has continued attempting to restore its military infrastructure. Israeli security officials view the manhunt as both an operational necessity and a moral commitment to the victims, survivors and families devastated by the massacre.

Hamas’s invasion killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages into Gaza. Nearly three years later, Israel’s message through NILI remains unchanged, time will not provide immunity to those responsible, and the pursuit will continue until the remaining terrorists are found.