Hamas leader killed as Israeli military launches a strike in Gaza

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated Muhammad Abu Alwan, the head of the Hamas terrorist organization’s finance department, in an operation in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip a short while earlier.

The leaders praised the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, also known as Shin Bet) for the “precise operation” and their “aggressive action to thwart our enemies.”

They stated: “We will continue to hunt down Hamas commanders and operatives, target its sources of funding, and destroy its terrorist infrastructure. We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, nor will we stop until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza.”

The announcement comes amid ongoing Israeli military operations against Hamas in Gaza. The IDF had not independently issued a detailed public statement on the specific strike at the time of the joint announcement. The move underscores Israel’s continued focus on degrading Hamas’s leadership, financial networks, and operational capabilities.