Israel may resume the targeted assassinations of top Hamas officials, a Palestinian official told Qatari news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Wednesday.
According to the report, Egyptian officials who visited the Gaza Strip this week in an effort to de-escalate tensions between Hamas, the terrorist group ruling the coastal enclave and Israel, warned Hamas that the IDF could target several individuals who are seen as the instigators of the recent uptick in tensions.
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Two top targets for Israel could be Hamas military leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar and Marwan Issa, commander of the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing.
The Egyptian delegation, which comprised high-ranking intelligence officials, arrived in Gaza in an effort to prevent tensions between Israel and Hamas from further escalating.
The recent week has seen a rapid increase in daily arson attacks emanating from Gaza, as dozens of fires have been sparked in Israeli communities near the volatile border by airborne explosives launched by Palestinian terrorists.
Hamas officials reportedly informed the Egyptian delegations that the terrorist group plans to resume the border protests held under the auspices of the "March of Return."
The 2018–2019 Gaza border protests, dubbed by organizers the "March of Return" saw riots held each Friday near the Gaza-Israel border. While the campaign drew tens of thousands of Palestinians to the border every week for months, it eventually fizzled in mid-2019.
Israel has stated that Hamas, as the sovereign of the coastal enclave, will be held accountable for any threat on its southern communities.
For the past week, the IDF has been targeting Hamas infrastructure in Gaza in response to the uptick in arson terrorism as well as sporadic rocket fire. The IDF has also shuttered the Kerem Shalom goods crossing to anything but humanitarian aid, and has cordoned off Gaza's fishing zone.
Hamas has demanded that the goods crossing and fishing zone be allowed to resume operations immediately. It also demands an increase in the number of permits issued to Gazan to work in Israel to 100,000.
Another demand, presented to Qatar, is to double the aid the Persian Gulf country affords Gaza from $100 million to $200 million.
Qatari envoy to Gaza Mohammed Al-Emadi told Araby Al-Jadeed that Doha was "making intense efforts" to contain the situation in Gaza and prevent further escalation, "so as to spare the people of Gaza more crises."
The daily further quotes an Egyptian source as saying that Cairo's delegation ordered Hamas to tone down its belligerent rhetoric against the United Arab Emirates over its peace deal with Israel, saying that further affront against Abu Dhabi – a senior member of the Arab League – may undercut the latter's financial support of the Palestinians.
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