The IDF also struck and dismantled a weapons storage facility belonging to Hamas’ military wing.
By Shula Rosen
The IDF said Sunday that it eliminated a Hamas commander and an Islamic Jihad terrorist in Gaza who had helped transfer millions of shekels from Iran and Turkey to Hamas’ military wing throughout the war.
The military identified the two as Alaa Ibrahim Nimer Arshi, a Hamas cell commander, and Karam Riyad Hassan Abu Butaihan, an Islamic Jihad terrorist.
According to the IDF, Arshi and Abu Butaihan facilitated the movement of millions of shekels from the Iranian regime and Turkey to Hamas’ military wing throughout the war.
The military said they were eliminated to remove the threat they posed.
In a separate operation in central Gaza, the IDF struck and dismantled a weapons storage facility belonging to Hamas’ military wing.
The site contained several types of weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, a launcher and rockets, according to the military.
The transfers come against the backdrop of a broader Hamas financing operation uncovered by the IDF and Shin Bet in 2025.
Israeli security officials said the agencies exposed a covert network of money changers operating in Turkey that allegedly moved hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas and its commanders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that several initiatives aimed at rebuilding the Gaza Strip and establishing governing structures to replace Hamas be delayed until after Israel’s Oct. 27 election, Israel Hayom reported Sunday.
The Prime Minister’s Office rejected the report’s claim that the postponements were connected to the election, saying reconstruction cannot begin before Hamas is disarmed.
Among the measures reportedly put on hold are plans to train thousands of Palestinian police officers in Egypt, begin preparations for Rafah’s reconstruction, deploy an international stabilization force, and bring a Palestinian technocratic administration into Gaza to replace Hamas.
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