Israel says two senior Hamas members killed

International News | The Hill

Israel’s military said Tuesday two senior members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas were killed in overnight airstrikes in Gaza.

In a series of updates Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed one of its aircraft struck Joad Abu Shmalah, the Hamas Minister of Economy in the Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, Shmalah managed the funding of terrorism both in and out of the Gaza Strip and led multiple operations that targeted Israeli civilians. Hamas, which governs Gaza, has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and several other countries

The Israeli military also claimed to have struck Zachariah Abu Ma’amar, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau and head of its office for internal relations. Israeli forces said Ma’mar played a role in the group’s decision-making and planning of several terror activities against Israel.

Their reported deaths come as Israel continues to ramp up its counteroffensive against Hamas, which launched a multi-pronged attack against Israel over the weekend, invading several Israeli towns by land, sea and air.

The Israeli government declared war against Hamas shortly after the attack, vowing to bring retaliation that will “resonate” with the militant group for generations. Since then, Israel has continued to pound the Gaza Strip with airstrikes that have forced thousands of Palestinians out of their homes.

The death toll from both sides reached at least 1,800 people Tuesday and is expected to grow in the wake of Israel’s continued airstrikes.

The Israeli military said Tuesday more than 1,000 people were killed in Israel, while 830 people were killed in Gaza and the West Bank, according to The Associated Press.

IDF forces claimed the bodies of an estimated 1,500 Palestinian gunmen were found on Israeli territory, though it was not immediately clear whether those numbers overlapped with the deaths previously reported by Palestinian officials.

More than 187,000 Palestinians have fled their home as Israeli forces direct evacuations in dozens of towns near the Gaza Strip.