CAIRO, Sept 23 (Reuters) – An Israeli airstrike killed at least two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health officials said, and Israel said the strike targeted a Hamas finance chief.
Medics said the two men, Osama Abu Khater and Mohammad Abu Elwan, were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle in western Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave. Two other people were wounded, they added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement the military had killed Mohammad Abu Elwan in Khan Younis, who they described as a senior Hamas finance official.
“We will not allow Hamas to rebuild its strength, and we will not stop until Hamas no longer exists in Gaza,” the joint statement said.
Hamas didn’t immediately comment.
Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023.
A US-brokered ceasefire agreed last year calls for the eventual reconstruction of the territory, but little progress has been made as negotiators have failed to agree terms for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its troops. Israeli airstrikes have continued.
At least 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.
Israel and Hamas trade blame over responsibility for violations of the ceasefire agreement.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi. Additional reporting by Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson)
