The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that it killed Hamas minister Abed Al-Zeriei in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Al-Zeriei, a key figure in Hamas’ Military Wing’s manufacturing department and the economy minister in Gaza, played a significant role in directing Hamas’ efforts to control humanitarian aid and manage the Hamas-controlled market, according to the IDF.
The IDF added that Al-Zeriei was responsible for distributing fuel, gas, and funds for terrorist purposes. This strike is part of Israel’s broader strategy to increase military pressure on Hamas. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the need for intensified military efforts against Hamas, aiming to achieve all war objectives, including the return of hostages.
Netanyahu stated, “Iran and its minions are looking to surround us in a stranglehold of terrorism. We are determined to stand against them on every front and in every arena – near and far. Whoever seeks to harm us will pay a very heavy price.”
On July 31, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for a presidential inauguration, was killed in an attack that Iran has blamed on Israel. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claimed that Haniyeh was killed by a short-range projectile with a warhead launched by Israel. The IRGC vowed to avenge Haniyeh’s death, stating that the “terrorist and adventurist Zionist regime” would receive severe punishment and a decisive response at an appropriate time and place.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led a public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh in Tehran before the coffin was transported to Doha, where he threatened “harsh punishment” for Haniyeh’s killing.
