The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday that it had killed Mohammed Awda in a strike in the northern Gaza Strip, alleging he had been chosen as the new commander of the Palestinian group Hamas' armed wing.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz also claimed that the army targeted Awda in an airstrike in Gaza City.
The claims came after heavy Israeli bombardment struck a densely populated area in central Gaza City on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, killing a Palestinian woman and injuring others, according to medical sources.
Neither Hamas nor its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, had commented on the Israeli claim.
The Israeli allegations come amid growing warnings from Israeli analysts and opposition figures that Netanyahu may seek further escalation in Gaza for electoral purposes amid the possibility of dissolving the Knesset and holding early elections.
Israel has killed more than 72,000 people and injured over 172,000 in two years of a brutal offensive since October 2023 that has also caused widespread destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure, before a ceasefire was announced last October.
