Israel eliminates Hamas finance chief behind $328 million in funding transfers

Hamas finance department chief Muhammad Abu Alwan was killed Wednesday in an Israeli Air Force missile strike on his car in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Gaza Strip, with the IDF saying he was responsible for transferring more than NIS 1 billion ($US 328 million) to Hamas over the past three years.

The IDF said Abu Alwan played a key role in Hamas’ financial apparatus, including budgeting the group’s various branches and directing money transfers to fund its activities.

The strike came as the Israeli military continues efforts to disrupt Hamas’ financial network and prevent the terror group from rebuilding its military capabilities during the Gaza ceasefire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement about 90 minutes after the strike, praising the IDF and Shin Bet for what they described as a precise operation.

“The prime minister and defense minister commend the IDF and Shin Bet for the precise operation and for their determined activity to thwart our enemies. We continue to pursue Hamas commanders and operatives, strike its sources of funding and destroy its terror infrastructure.”

The IDF released its own statement on Thursday morning, saying Abu Alwan had recently been working to restore Hamas’ capabilities.

“The IDF and Shin Bet continue to focus efforts on damaging Hamas’ financing capabilities, preventing the restoration of its infrastructure and military capabilities, while eliminating terrorists and the network of money changers and accomplices who manage money transfers worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” the statement said.

The military said Abu Alwan was “a key figure in maintaining the terrorist organization’s rule and survival."

The IDF also said Hamas has made significant efforts to rearm and restore its military infrastructure since the ceasefire began, and that Israeli forces remain focused on preventing those efforts.

The latest strike follows other Israeli operations targeting Hamas commanders and operatives in Gaza as the IDF works to disrupt the group’s military and financial infrastructure.

Hamas was founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin during the First Intifada and is rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood. The group seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 in a violent takeover.

The IDF says Hamas has received financial and military support from Iran and has spent years developing rockets, tunnels, weapons-production facilities and other military infrastructure throughout Gaza.

The Israeli military describes Hamas as an Islamist terrorist organization that calls for Israel’s destruction. Its 1988 charter states that Hamas seeks to “establish the sovereignty of Allah over the entire land of Palestine” and rejects negotiations and territorial concessions with Israel.

According to the IDF, Abu Alwan’s role in Hamas’ financial apparatus made him a key target as Israel seeks to prevent the organization from restoring its military and financial capabilities.