Abu Alwan was targeted Wednesday morning while traveling in a vehicle in the Khan Younis area.
Hamas finance department chief Muhammad Abu Alwan
About 90 minutes later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced his death, nearly a day before the military issued its own statement.
“The prime minister and defense minister commend the IDF and Shin Bet for the precise operation and for their determined activity to thwart our enemies,” the two said. “We continue to pursue Hamas commanders and operatives, strike its sources of funding and destroy its terror infrastructure.”
According to the IDF, Abu Alwan began working in Hamas’ financial apparatus about a decade ago. As part of the finance department, he was responsible for allocating budgets across the terror group’s various branches.
The military said that in recent months he had also worked to restore Hamas’ capabilities in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“The IDF and Shin Bet continue to focus efforts on damaging Hamas’ financing capabilities, preventing the restoration of its infrastructure and military capabilities, while eliminating terrorists and the network of money changers and accomplices who manage money transfers worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” the military said.