Tel Aviv [Israel], September 23 (ANI): Israeli forces have killed Muhammad Abu Alwan, head of Hamas’ finance department, during a targeted operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
In a joint statement released by the PMO, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the targeted strike was executed as a joint effort by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency.
“A short while ago in Khan Younis, the IDF eliminated Hamas terrorist organisation finance department head Muhammad Abu Alwan,” the statement read.
“The Prime Minister and Defence Minister commend the IDF and the ISA for this precise operation and for their aggressive action to thwart our enemies,” it added.
Israeli leadership emphasised that operations against the group’s leadership and financial networks would continue uninterrupted until Hamas “no longer exists in Gaza.”
“We will continue to hunt down Hamas commanders and operatives, target its sources of funding, and destroy its terrorist infrastructure,” Netanyahu and Katz warned. “We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, nor will we stop until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza.”
https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2102688382941847579
The elimination of Abu Alwan marks the latest high-profile strike against Hamas’s financial infrastructure in the enclave.
Earlier last month, Netanyahu warned Hamas that Israel would intensify targeted strikes against those responsible for launching drones, balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip if the launches do not cease immediately, as Hamas accused Israel of using children’s kites as a pretext to escalate “attacks” on Gaza.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister of Israel’s official handle said that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held “a situational assessment this evening regarding the threat of drones, balloons and kites launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel. The discussion was attended by Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Head of the National Security Council, and senior IDF officials.”
Israel warned Hamas that “if the launches toward Israel do not cease immediately, the IDF will act to increase targeted strikes against those responsible for the launches and will evacuate the population from areas used as launch sites for kites, drones, and balloons.”
The Prime Minister clarified that ” there will be no return to the state of affairs prior to October 7. Israel will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization or any other element in the Gaza Strip to threaten our communities again and compromise our citizens’ sense of security.”
On the other hand, Hamas accused Israel of fabricating a pretext to escalate “attacks” on Gaza after Israel threatened strikes over kites flown by Palestinian children, Al Jazeera reported.
According to Al Jazeera, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement on the group’s website that the move was “threatening children”.
He called on the US, mediating and guarantor states, and the UN Security Council to pressure Israel to halt its escalation in Gaza, which he said was an attempt to unravel a ceasefire that the Palestinian side remains “fully committed to”. (ANI)
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