Israel targets Hamas commanders and financial networks while revealing Hezbollah pager operation details

Israeli security agencies have reported significant strikes against Hamas and new details regarding past operations against Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet announced the elimination of Izz al-Din Bik, the commander of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade, in an overnight airstrike in Gaza City. Bik, who previously served as an intelligence officer, was reportedly responsible for directing attacks and rebuilding the brigade’s military capabilities.

In a separate operation, the IDF and Shin Bet stated they killed 16 senior Hamas financial operatives. This strike targeted a money-transfer network that allegedly moved over $1 billion to fund Hamas’s military and political activities through money changers in Turkey and Gaza. Key figures killed include Ibrahim Abu Shamala and Mohammed Abu Alwan.

Additionally, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant provided new details regarding the September 2024 pager operation against Hezbollah. Gallant revealed that the operation faced near-exposure when a Hezbollah member grew suspicious of the devices and when Iranian-supplied X-ray equipment arrived to scan them. To prevent the plot from being uncovered, Israel conducted targeted strikes on the suspicious individual and the scanning equipment, framing them as separate incidents.