On 17th October (Tuesday), the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes on a home that reportedly belonged to the family of Hamas Chairman Ismail Haniyeh, who currently lives in Qatar, Israeli media reported.
Citing Palestinian medical sources, the Times of Israel reported that 14 family members of Ismail Haniyeh were killed in the Israeli airstrike which was carried out in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza Strip. According to the reports, Haniyeh’s brother and nephew have been killed in the airstrike.
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon (local time), an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip eliminated the head of Hamas’s Central Gaza Brigade, Ayman Nofal, the military wing of Hamas Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades said. Nofal was also a senior commander in the terror organisation and was a member of the organisation’s General Military Council.
The Hamas commander was killed in a strike in the Bureij refugee camp. The IDF stated that the airstrike was carried out following intelligence efforts by the Shin Bet security agency and the Military Intelligence Directorate.
According to the IDF, Nofal carried out “numerous attacks against Israel and security forces.” He was previously involved in the production and development of weapons and had been involved in the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilat Shalit in 2006.
The military added that Nofal was one of the most dominant senior officials in the organisation, and was close to Muhammad Deif, Hamas’s military leader.
IDF also released a video of the bombardment which was first shared by their spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant proclaimed that Hamas terrorists had only two options in the ongoing war: either to surrender or to die.
He said, “Hamas members have two options: Either die in their positions or surrender unconditionally. There is no third option. We will wipe out the Hamas organization and dismantle all of its capabilities.”
As part of updates on the Israel-Hamas war, the IDF and its officials have been sharing the details of the airstrikes and the targets it neutralised following the 7th October terrorist attacks and ground invasion by Hamas.
A day earlier, on 16th October, IDF shared a list of Hamas terrorists it had eliminated since the start of the Israel-Hamas war including Ali Qadi who led the mass killing of Israeli civilians during the terror attack on 7th October.
Meanwhile, on 16th October (Monday) the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) rejected a Russian resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas as the draft did not get a minimum number of votes to be passed. Russia had proposed a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The Russian-led draft resolution received five votes in favour – China, Gabon, Mozambique, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Four nations – the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Japan voted against the draft resolution. France, the US, and the UK voted against the resolution over its failure to condemn Hamas for its attacks on Israel.
Six nations – Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta, and Switzerland abstained from voting on the resolution. Notably, the resolution would have needed nine votes in favour to proceed.
Hamas carrying out psychological terrorism, IDF warns its citizens
After committing unspeakable atrocities on Israeli civilians, the Islamist terror organisation, Hamas, has now begun using Israeli women, infants, and toddlers, which they have taken hostage, to garner sympathy.
Merely three days after releasing a propaganda video where Hamas terrorists were showing ‘compassion’ for children held hostage in Gaza, the Islamist terror organisation released yet another similar video on Monday (16th October). The video is of an Israeli woman the Hamas terrorists abducted from the Supernova Sukkot Music Festival on Kibbutz Re’im, the first location which they attacked. The video released by Hamas on Telegram shows the hostage, injured with a broken arm, receiving medical treatment.
Israeli Defence Forces have warned its citizens that Hamas is using ‘psychological terror’ against Israel with the videos of hostages held in Gaza.