The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced in a statement that on Monday evening, they had carried out operations resulting in the deaths of Hamas’ economy minister and another senior political bureau member.
This news followed a series of more than 100 airstrikes on Gaza, as reported by RT.
Subsequently, Hamas confirmed the fatalities of both individuals on its official website, asserting that they had been “martyred due to the Zionist occupation’s bombing of the Gaza Strip.”
Jawad Abu Shamala, who held the role of economy minister in Hamas’ political wing, and Zakaria Abu Ma’amr, characterized as a close associate of the group’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, were the individuals in question.
According to the IDF, Abu Shamala was responsible for “financing and directing terrorism,” while Abu Ma’amr was deeply involved in the organization’s decision-making and planning of actions against the security of the State of Israel.
This statement was issued on Tuesday.
Israeli military aircraft had been conducting a series of airstrikes in the densely-populated Gaza area since Saturday, focusing on 250 targets in the al-Furkan neighborhood of Gaza City between Monday and Tuesday.
The IDF referred to this neighborhood as a “nest of terror,” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that the airstrikes would “continue at full strength.”
Reports indicated a high number of civilian casualties, with the Palestinian Health Ministry stating on Tuesday that the strikes had claimed the lives of 770 people and left 4,000 others wounded, including 140 children.
The bombing campaign was initiated in response to a full-scale assault on Israel by Hamas, which began with rocket barrages fired from Gaza into Israel on Saturday morning.
Some of these rockets reached as far as Tel Aviv. In response, air raid sirens sounded across southern Israel, and Hamas fighters crossed the border, attacking Jewish settlements near Gaza.
As of Tuesday, the conflict had resulted in at least 800 Israeli casualties and more than 2,000 wounded.
It was reported that Hamas was holding at least 150 Israelis as hostages, threatening to execute them on live television if Israel continued its no-warning airstrikes on Gaza.
Despite international concerns, Israeli officials did not show any signs of backing down, with Major General Ghassan Alian emphasizing a strong stance, stating that “human animals must be treated as such” and warning of severe repercussions, including a lack of electricity and water in Gaza.
