Two Hamas operatives linked to vast funding network 'eliminated', IDF claims
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said Hussein Qadra and Mohammed Farra, who headed the network together, acted under Hamas leadership.
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that they had "eliminated" two operatives in the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
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They said Hussein Qadra and Mohammed Farra, who headed the network together, acted under Hamas leadership.
An X post by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed the pair facilitated the transfer of more than half a billion shekels to Hamas.
The news comes a day after Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least six, including an Al Jazeera cameraman and at least one child, according to health officials and rescuers.
Al Jazeera issued a strong condemnation of "the heinous crime of targeting and killing" its correspondent Ahmed Wishah, whose central Gaza home was hit by a strike on Saturday.
The IDF accused Wishah of being a terrorist in Hamas' military wing, saying he served as a sniper operative and had advanced attack plans against Israeli troops.
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A similar claim was made against Wishah's brother, Mohamed, who was also a correspondent for Al Jazeera and was killed in an Israeli strike in April.
The IDF did not substantiate either of their claims with any details.
At least 235 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed throughout the conflict, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
The Israeli government has also stopped all foreign journalists from entering the Gaza strip since the start of the war, citing security concerns.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN regards as reliable, says the Israeli military has killed 1,007 people since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect last October.
Both Israel and Palestinian armed group Hamas have repeatedly accused one another of violating the ceasefire during this period.
Ceasefire terms required Hamas to disarm and have no role in the governance of Gaza, but no progress has been made.
The latest period of the decades-long conflict started when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.
Since then, more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli military operations, according to Gaza's health ministry, and 81% of buildings in the country have been destroyed.
Israel has also continued to strike targets in Lebanon, killing at least 16 overnight and risking the delicate peace agreement between Iran and the US, which hinges in part on an end to the conflict in Lebanon.