IDF kills Hamas commander who had held seven Israeli hostages in Gaza tunnel

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that it had eliminated Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad, a Hamas commander who, according to the military, held seven hostages in a Gaza tunnel during the war.Awad, who was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza City area over the weekend, took part in holding hostages Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran and Eitan Mor, according to the military.Awad had recently planned terror attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and also worked to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities “in systematic violation of the ceasefire,” the IDF said.“Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance,” added the military.“IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.”The IDF 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.Board of Peace: Roadmap “will not be easy”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 othe...