The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed Hamas commander Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad in a weekend airstrike in Gaza City. The military alleges Awad held seven hostages in a tunnel and plotted attacks against civilians and soldiers.
The seven hostages linked to Mahmoud Abd al-Fattah Awad
The IDF reported that the airstrike trageted Awad, who was implicated in the captivity of Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Doron Steinbrecher, Naama Levy, Ziv Berman, Omri Miran, and Eitan Mor.. According to the military, the operation utilized aerial surveillance and precise munitions to minimize civilian casualties in the Gaza City area.
This operation reflects a specific tactical focus on individuals directly responsible for hostage detention. By targeting Awad, the IDF aims to dismantle the specific tunnel networks where captives were held during the conflict, ensuring that the infrastructure used for abduction is permanently neutralized.
Muhammad Abu Alwan and the war on Hamas funding
The strike on Awad follows the Wednesday elimination of Muhammad Abu Alwan in Khan Yunis, who the IDF identified as the head of Hamas's financial operations. As reported in the source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the Shin Bet and the IDF for these precise operations.
The removal of Alwan suggests a broader Israeli strategy to bankrupt the Hamas terror group while simultaneously removing its tactical leadership. This two-pronged approach—targeting both the money and the commanders—is intended to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its strength or infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
Resolution 2803 and the Board of Peace's 15-point roadmap
Amidst these strikes, the Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump, is promoting a 15-point roadmap for transition and a 20-point peace plan adopted via UN Security Council Resolution 2803. Trump stated during a UN General Assembly address in New York that world leaders' diplomatic steps "changed everything," claiming the war had ended and all hostages had returned.
The Board of Peace, supported by the European Union and the United Arab Emirates, envisions a future Gaza governed by a technocratic Palestinian civilian and security administration. This framework requires the total demiilitarization and deradicalization of the Strip, alongside an eventual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
The "Yellow Line" and the threat to one million Gaza City residents
Despite the diplomatic optimism, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning during a memorial for the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Katz asserted that if a single Israeli is abducted, the IDF will evacuate one million residents from Gaza City southward, treating the city as it did Rafah and Beit Hanoun, where 70% of the Strip was impacted.
Katz further pledged that the IDF will not retreat from the "Yellow Line"—the current deployment boundary within the Gaza Strip—until the area is fully demilitarized and Hamas is eradicated. This creates a preacrious tenson between the Board of Peace's vision of withdrawal and the military's insistence on a security buffer.
The contradiction between Trump's "war ended" claim and active airstrikes
A significant gap remains between the political narrative and the operational reality. While President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly that the war ended and hostages returned, the IDF continues to conduct lethal airstrikes against commanders like Awad and Alwan.
It remains unclear how the "technocratic governing body" proposed by the Board of Peace will function while the IDF maintains the "Yellow Line" and threatens mass evacuations. Furthermore, the source does not clarify if the "returned" hostages mentioned by Trump include those held by Awad or if those individuals were recovered through different means .
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