Israel reports killing of Hamas economy minister
Israel's declared goal is to dismantle Hamas. Now, the military reports having killed a minister of the terrorist organization ruling in the Gaza Strip. Abed al-Sariei was reportedly responsible for arms procurement, among other things.
The Israeli army said it had deliberately killed the economic minister of the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The military announced that the air force had "neutralized" Abed al-Sariei "under the guidance of the military intelligence." According to the Israeli account, al-Sariei was also active in the procurement of weapons for Hamas. His department had, among other things, exchanged information with other terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
"It was further stated that al-Sariei played a significant role in leading Hamas' efforts to gain control over humanitarian aid supplies brought into the Gaza Strip," it continued. He had also helped Hamas to control markets in the coastal strip. "Moreover, he was responsible for the distribution of fuel, gas, and funds for terrorist purposes." These statements from the army could not be independently verified.
Last week, there were two attacks on two high-ranking targets of the Israeli security apparatus. In the early hours of Wednesday, an explosion in a guesthouse of the Iranian government in Tehran killed the foreign chief of the Islamic Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. A few hours earlier, an air strike killed the high-ranking Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Israel claimed responsibility for the attack on Shukr, but there have been no official statements of this kind from Jerusalem regarding the attack on Haniyeh. Iran and its allied Hamas blame the Jewish state for both incidents.
In 2006, Hamas won the last Palestinian parliamentary election. The following year, it seized sole control of the Gaza Strip by force and ousted the more moderate Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from the area. Since then, Fatah has only ruled in the West Bank, effectively creating two governments.
The targeted individual, Abed al-Sariei, held a significant position in Hamas, overseeing their activities in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip. His responsibilities included the procurement of weapons for Hamas, which often involved collaborating with other terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
