JERUSALEM (VINnews)-The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday released details identifying 12 terrorists killed during the war in Gaza as members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, many of whom had been portrayed publicly only as soccer players or coaches.

“Following an intelligence investigation, it is now possible to reveal the terrorists’ organizational affiliation and their roles, despite the fact that in many cases they were presented to the world solely as soccer players, without any mention of their affiliation with terror organizations,” the IDF said.

The military said some of the information came from open sources, but all of those listed were confirmed by the IDF as terror operatives. Several participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.

The 12 identified are:

Mohammed Barakat, a soccer player and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who invaded Israel on Oct. 7.

Mahmoud Kamal Mohammed Ali Al-Rifi, a soccer player and company commander in Hamas’s aerial array.

Mohammed Mansour, a football player and coach, and deputy commander in Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion, who invaded Israel on Oct. 7.

Ahmed Mohammed Hassan Abu al-Atta, a soccer player and platoon commander in Islamic Jihad.

Abdullah Riyad Abdullah Khattab, a soccer player and member of Islamic Jihad’s anti-tank missile array.

Mohammed Sami Mohammed Khattab, a FIFA international referee and member of Islamic Jihad in central Gaza.

Ali Mahmoud Ahmed al-Kurd, a soccer player and coach, and platoon commander in Islamic Jihad in Rafah.

Mohammed Imad Atta Hassoun, a soccer player and Hamas terrorist who invaded Israel on Oct. 7.

Tarek Ziad Hussein al-Hour, a soccer player and member of Hamas’s military wing.

Mohammed Ziad Hussein al-Hour, a soccer player and platoon commander in Hamas’s military wing in Nuseirat.

Mahmoud Osama al-Jazzar, a soccer player and Islamic Jihad operative.

Mohammed Nidal Mohammed al-Hawajri, a soccer player and commander in Hamas’s military wing in Nuseirat.

The IDF described the revelations as a response to what it called a “false campaign” portraying the military as deliberately targeting members of the soccer community. The army said such efforts are part of a broader pattern in which terrorists eliminated by Israeli forces were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers or other civilians, while their terror affiliations were concealed.

“In those campaigns, Palestinian terrorists struck and eliminated by the IDF were presented as journalists, humanitarian aid workers, and other civilian professionals, while their involvement in terrorist activity was deliberately concealed to promote false claims that they had been targeted because of their civilian professions,” the military added.