Israel continued its assassination policy in the Gaza Strip, killing Muhammad al-Yazouri (al-Maqadma), commander of the Khan Younis Brigade, and Nael Abu Obeid, commander of the Rafah Brigade, in two separate raids in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in addition to Hudhayfah Abu Muammar, an engineer in the military wing. An Israeli Hebrew news site also reported that an Israeli drone assassinated Ibrahim Muhsen in the al-Sawariha cemetery, west of al-Zawaida, in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli security officials say Hamas’s response has changed radically, as it now limits itself to condolence messages without a concrete military response, while Palestinian officials close to Hamas consider the non-response a strategic decision to prevent a renewed war and preserve what remains of its military and political power.
Politically, Israeli security sources indicate that Hamas prefers calm before the Knesset elections and keeps its options open, and that the leadership of its military wing has directed it not to use its capabilities in offensive operations and to retain them as a defensive measure. Hamas initially agreed to the Peace Council roadmap to transfer civilian control of the Gaza Strip to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, with a gradual transfer of weapons to authorized Palestinian entities. However, Israel conditions parallel progress in withdrawal and fulfillment of ceasefire commitments, and demands that Hamas disarm before any major withdrawal. The sources believe Hamas is not rushing the choice between full surrender or a return to war.
Internationally, the UN Human Rights Office announced the expansion of its database of companies linked to activities in Israeli settlements in the West Bank by adding 61 new companies, raising the list to 214 companies, most of them Israeli, alongside companies from 10 countries including the United States, France, Germany and China, operating in the energy, food, hospitality, transport and agriculture sectors. Among the most prominent additions are the Israeli pesticide company ADAMA, affiliated with the Chinese Syngenta Group, the Israeli real estate investment company Alony Hetz, and the Spanish logistics company Salva.