IDF strike in Gaza kills Hamas finance chief, Netanyahu and defense minster say

The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday eliminated Muhammad Abu Alwan, who headed the financial operations of the Hamas terror group, in a strike in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.Netanyahu and Katz praised the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) for the “precise operation” in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.“We will continue to hunt down Hamas commanders and operatives, target its sources of funding and destroy its terrorist infrastructure,” the statement said.“We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, nor will we stop until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza,” it added.The Board of Peace on Tuesday night hailed the progress made in Gaza over the past year, saying that the work ahead to implement the updated 15-point roadmap for peace and transition in Gaza “will not be easy.”But with the help of international partners, including the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, and others, “we are confident that we can succeed and turn the plan’s vision into reality,” the international body tweeted.U.S.President Donald Trump praised the progress made as well, during his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.A year ago, the war in Gaza was still raging “brutally,” the hostages were still held captive in Hamas tunnels and “there was no end in sight,” Trump stated.But world leaders took the first steps toward a diplomatic solution at the previous UNGA, and “changed everything,” the president continued.The war ended, lives were saved, and the remaining hostages returned home, “both living and dead; every single one of them,” said Trump.He also thanked the U.N.

Security Council for unanimously adopting Resolution 2803, a comprehensive 20-point peace plan for Gaza, and for approving the Board of Peace, chaired by Trump and tasked with overseeing and advancing the U.S.president’s proposal.On...