A spokesperson for Hamas, Abdul Latif al-Qanou, was martyred in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a tent where he had taken shelter, in Jabalia, the northern Gaza Strip, Al Aqsa TV reported. 

Hamas mourned al-Qanou, describing him as an example of steadfastness and dedication in serving his people and their cause.

"He courageously bore the responsibility of conveying the message and defending the Palestinian people’s issues and the legitimacy of resistance, without wavering in his role as the movement’s official spokesman," the movement said in a statement.

The movement affirmed that "al-Qanoua remained steadfast in the face of Israeli aggression on the Strip despite the grave dangers he faced, until he ascended as a martyr on a great night in the blessed month of Ramadan."

In its statement, Hamas proclaimed that no bullet, no targeted strike, and no act of oppression will silence the will of its people. "The martyr’s blood, spilled upon the land they sought to free, will not be in vain—it will flow like fire through the veins of resistance, fueling the path to liberation until the dawn of victory breaks."

Al-Qanou, like thousands of his copatriots, has taken a tent as his temporary home, following the systematic Israeli destruction of civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. 

The airstrike killed and injured others and came as part of several raids that targeted several areas across the Gaza Strip. 

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip continue to target and kill dozens of civilians after Israeli authorities deliberately sabotaged a multiphase ceasefire agreement signed in January this year.  

Netanyahu threatens escalation, captives' lives fall into further uncertainty 

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated threats to seize territory in Gaza if the Palestinian Resistance refuses to release the remaining Israeli captives.

“The more Hamas continues in its refusal to release our hostages, the more powerful the repression we exert will be,” Netanyahu told a parliamentary hearing, which was intermittently disrupted by opposition members.

"I say this to my colleagues in the Knesset, and I say it to Hamas as well: this includes the seizure of territories, along with other measures I will not elaborate here," he indicated.  

On Wednesday, Hamas warned that captives could be killed if "Israel" attempts a military rescue. “Every time the occupation attempts to retrieve its captives by force, it ends up bringing them back in coffins,” the group said in a statement.

The Palestinian group pointed out that it was "doing everything possible to keep the [Israeli] occupation's captives alive, but the random Zionist bombardment is endangering their lives."

Of the 251 captives taken during the Palestinian Resistance's operation against "Israel" on October 7, 2023, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military believes are dead.

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