Israel declares no ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas dismantled Key Hamas figure killed in airstrike/VIDEO

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (Shabak) confirmed the successful execution of an airstrike targeting and killing Mahmoud Muhammad Abd Hack, a senior Hamas commander.

Hack was known for his pivotal role in recruiting new fighters for the Zeitoun Brigades, a key faction within the Hamas organization, Caliber.Az reports, citing the IDF Spokesperson Office. 

בפעילות משותפת של צה"ל ושב"כ, חוסל הבוקר במחנות המרכז שברצועת עזה המחבל מחמוד מחמד עבד חאצ׳ באמצעות כלי טיס.
חאצ׳ היה אמון בתפקידו הצבאי על גיוסי פעילים חדשים לארגון הטרור חמאס ובפרט לגדודי זייתון. חאצ׳ פעל בהיבטי גיוסי כספים ומימון למטרות טרור לפעילות הצבאית של ארגון הטרור חמאס pic.twitter.com/YoUQ8nMDJe

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 3, 2024

The operation took place during an IDF fighter strike on a refugee camp, resulting in Hack's death.

Hack's involvement in Hamas was not limited to recruitment; he was also a significant contributor to the organization's military wing, as he was raising money for it.

The airstrike carried out with precision, serves as a strategic blow to Hamas, disrupting both its leadership structure and its financial network.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israel would not end the war in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is completely dismantled.

“There is no one to help the terrorists, it’s only a matter of our decision of what we take care of first and what second,” says Gallant to troops of the 98th Division on the Gaza border.

“We will not end this war without eliminating Hamas. There will be no such situation. There will be no Hamas as a ruling organization. It will take the time it takes,” he adds.

In a related development, Hezbollah air defence systems opened barrage fire on Israeli Air Force aircraft that appeared in the skies over the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

Israeli fighter jets carried out low-altitude reconnaissance flights over Baalbek and its environs. They were also seen in the skies over southern Beirut and Kesrouan. As the portal indicates, the fire of anti-aircraft guns forced enemy aircraft to leave the country's airspace.

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force attacked outposts of Shiite militias in the villages of Ait al-Shaab, Kfar Killa and Yarun on March 3. Local authorities reported the destruction of houses in neighbourhoods previously abandoned by residents due to heavy shelling.

Israeli artillery struck the towns of Aytarun, Blida and Mays al-Jabal in response to a series of mortar rounds targeting settlements in the Upper Galilee. Among the civilians there are wounded who were taken away by ambulances; their number is being clarified.

Hezbollah's military information service, in its report on the Telegram channel, reported attacks on Israeli mechanized patrols in the border areas of Jebel Nazer, Malkiya and Sammak.

“Islamic resistance fighters exchanged fire with enemy forces in the Wazzani Valley and inflicted casualties on them,” the text notes.

US Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must be declared without delay, right now.

This became known on the night of March 3 to 4. “A six-week ceasefire must be achieved immediately,” Harris said. “It is necessary to free the hostages.”

Residents of the Gaza Strip are suffering a “humanitarian catastrophe” and Israel must step up efforts to get humanitarian aid there immediately and without any excuses, Kamala Harris added. “In the Gaza Strip, we see a heartbreaking sight: too many innocents killed.”

In parallel, Harris clarified that the Hamas threat “must be eliminated.” Commenting on the progress of negotiations for the release of the hostages, she said: “There is a real deal on the table now, and Hamas must agree to it.”

Moreover, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns believes that the Palestinian movement Hamas and Israel are close to an agreement on establishing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"I think it's vital that aid gets into Gaza. I was briefed personally by CIA Director Burns on Friday. He's negotiating a cease-fire. And he believes we're close. I think it's very important to achieve that. First of all because there are still hostages being held as a result of Hamas and the bloody attack on 7 October. But also because there is a desperate need to get aid into Gaza," he said.

The radical Palestinian movement Hamas has not agreed to the conditions proposed by the United States for the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

According to them, at a meeting in Paris on February 23, the US presented a formula for the exchange of 40 hostages held in the Gaza Strip for several hundred Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.