Israel Kills Palestinian Islamic Jihad Spokesperson Abu Hamza, Wife In Gaza Airstrikes
Pro-Palestinian Islamic Jihad and pro-Palestinian Hamas social media accounts claimed Israel eliminated Abu Hamza, spokesperson of the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) social media accounts on Tuesday claimed that Israel eliminated PIJ spokesperson Abu Hamza along with his wife and few other family members.
The social media handles citing Gazan news channels said that Abu Hamza was killed along with his wife Shaimaa Abu Seif, brother Ghassan Maher Abu Seif, his sister-in-law Sara Abu Seif and their children.
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The Israeli military and its air force is yet to confirm the killing of the spokesperson of the armed wing of the Palestinian militant group.
The development comes shortly after Hamas claimed that Israel has eliminated a top leader of the group along with at least 400 civilians which also included an Israeli hostage.
Among those killed in airstrikes on their homes were Essam Addalees, the de facto head of the Hamas government, Ahmed Al-Hetta, deputy justice minister and Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the deputy minister of interior and head of the Hamas-run security services, Hamas said.
The Palestinian militant group, which still holds 59 of the 250 or so hostages seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire and jeopardising efforts by mediators to secure a permanent truce.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had told the military to take “strong action" against Hamas in response to the group’s refusal to release the remaining hostages and because of their rejection of ceasefire proposals.
The Israeli military described the attacks as a “preemptive offensive" aimed at thwarting Hamas’ ability to launch attacks against Israel and to rebuild and rearm its forces. It said it targeted “mid-ranking military commanders, leadership officials and terrorist infrastructure" belonging to Hamas.
The airstrikes also hit homes and tent encampments housing civilians from the north to south of the Gaza Strip and Israeli tanks shelled across the border line into the enclave, witnesses said.
“It was a night of hell. It felt like the first days of the war," said Rabiha Jamal, 65, a mother of five from Gaza City.
“We were preparing to have something to eat before starting a new day of fasting when the building shook and explosions began. We thought it was over but war is back," she told Reuters via a chat app.
Netanyahu has vowed to eradicate his old foe Hamas. While the group has been weakened with relentless Israeli bombardment and ground offensives, it is still the dominant force in Gaza.
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