Hamas has reportedly threatened to repeat the October 7, 2023, massacre in a warning described by insiders as unprecedented in its directness, as international pressure grows for the group to surrender its weapons.
According to a report by Ynet, senior Hamas officials told UN humanitarian coordinator Dr Ramiz Alakbarov last week that the group was prepared to carry out attacks against targets in Israel, Judea and Samaria, and abroad whenever opportunities arose.
The officials reportedly asked Alakbarov to convey the warning to Israel’s leadership. He is understood to have subsequently met Major General Yoram Halevy, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), to pass on the message.
Hamas Reports Financial Difficulties and Loss of Control in Gaza
During the meeting, Hamas officials reportedly said the group was experiencing financial difficulties and losing control over parts of the Gaza Strip.
They attributed the situation largely to continuing Israeli military operations and changes to the Yellow Line, which demarcates the boundary with Israel.
The group also expressed frustration with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after he cancelled elections that had been scheduled for the end of November.
The reported warning comes as Hamas continues to resist demands to disarm under the US-brokered ceasefire arrangements.
Israel Announces Killing of Hamas Member Linked to Shani Louk’s Death
The warning was reported shortly after Israel announced that it had killed Tamer Muhammad Ibrahim al-Sabbagh in an airstrike in northern Gaza.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), al-Sabbagh was the final member of a Hamas cell considered responsible for the abduction and killing of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman who was kidnapped during the October 7 attacks.
The military said three other members of the cell had been killed earlier in the conflict, while another had been captured by Israeli forces.
The IDF accused al-Sabbagh of carrying out advanced attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and attempting to restore Hamas’s operational capabilities in what it described as a systematic violation of the ceasefire.
“The terrorist was eliminated in order to remove the threat he posed,” the IDF said.
Shani Louk’s Abduction Became a Symbol of the October 7 Attacks
Louk, a tattoo artist, was abducted from the Nova music festival near Re’im during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Photographs taken by Associated Press freelance photographer Ali Mahmud showed her unconscious and partially undressed in the back of a pickup truck in Gaza. Video footage also showed armed men parading her through the streets.
The images drew widespread attention to her fate and became among the most widely circulated records of the attacks.
Forensic examiners confirmed Louk’s death in late October 2023 after identifying a fragment of her skull. In May 2024, IDF soldiers operating in Gaza recovered her remains and returned them to Israel for burial.
International Mediators Continue to Demand Hamas Disarmament
The reported threat comes as the Board of Peace and international mediators continue pressing Hamas to surrender its weapons.
Disarmament is a central condition of the US-brokered ceasefire framework, which also envisages the eventual reconstruction of Gaza.
However, negotiations have made limited progress, with the parties unable to agree on the terms under which Hamas would give up its weapons and Israel would withdraw its troops.
The dispute over disarmament remains one of the key obstacles to implementing the broader arrangements for the territory.
Israeli Airstrikes Continue as Gaza Death Toll Rises
Israeli airstrikes have intensified in recent weeks, according to the report.
Health officials in Gaza say at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. Israel, meanwhile, has reported the deaths of four of its soldiers during the same period.
Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas-led militants killed approximately 1,200 people during the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The reported Hamas warning adds to tensions surrounding the ceasefire negotiations, particularly the unresolved demands for disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
