Israel said it targeted the new chief of Hamas's armed wing in a strike in Gaza on Tuesday, just days after his predecessor was killed in a similar attack in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The claim 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.
In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Katz said the army launched the strike “under their instructions,” claiming Awda had been selected to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, whom Israel said it killed around 10 days ago.
The statement did not confirm whether Awda was killed in the strike.
The two Israeli officials attempted to justify the attack by alleging Awda was among the “architects” of the October 7, 2023 surprise attack against Israel.
Israeli news website Walla said the results of the attempted attack on Awda were still unclear.
Neither Hamas nor the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the resistance group, 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 at least 72,803 people and injured over 172,000 in two years of genocidal war since October 2023, which has also caused widespread destruction affecting 90 percent of civilian infrastructure, before a ceasefire was announced last October.
