Israel Announces Killing of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Leaders Overseeing Gaza Funding Network

On Sunday, the Israeli army announced the killing of two senior figures from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movement, stating that they operated a network responsible for transferring funds to the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military identified the deceased as Hussein Al-Qudra and Mohammed Al-Farra, members of the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in a post on the platform "X".

According to the Israeli army, Al-Qudra and Al-Farra worked within a Hamas-run network that facilitated the transfer of money to Gaza, with Al-Qudra heading the network jointly with Al-Farra.

The military further noted that Hussein Al-Qudra acted under directives from Hamas leadership and helped transfer over half a billion shekels (approximately 169 million US dollars) to the movement by managing a network that included dozens of couriers and currency exchangers both inside and outside Gaza.

These funds were reportedly used to pay salaries to members of Hamas’s military wing and to finance its activities.

Neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad has issued an immediate response to the Israeli military’s statements.

Since the ceasefire came into effect more than seven months ago, Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip has continued unabated, resulting in hundreds of casualties.

The Gaza Strip experiences near-daily air raids, along with artillery shelling and gunfire along the border separating the Israeli and Palestinian territories.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll has exceeded one thousand since the ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas in October.

Israel has declared that its operations against Hamas and allied armed factions in Gaza are ongoing and has expanded the areas under its control within the Strip. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that the total death toll from the war has surpassed 73,000 in the territory.

The conflict erupted when militants led by Hamas crossed the border into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.