The Israeli army announced, on Friday evening, that it had assisted the Shin Bet in assassinating Izz al-Din Kassab, a member of the Hamas political bureau and the official in charge of the national relations file.

An Israeli army statement said that aircraft, with precise intelligence guidance, raided a vehicle in which Kassab was traveling and he was eliminated.

He explained that Kassab is considered an important power center in Hamas, as he was responsible for the organization's strategic and military relations with the rest of the factions and had the authority to make military decisions. He also ordered the implementation of offensive plans against Israel, according to the statement.

The statement added: Kassab was one of the last members of the political bureau who remained alive inside the Gaza Strip, where his assistant Ayman Ayyash was killed with him.

Hamas mourned Kassab and Ayyash in a statement, and confirmed that they were among its leaders.

She said that Kassab is a member of the National Relations Office and a member of the Follow-up Committee for the National and Islamic Forces in the Gaza Strip, while Ayyash is a member of the Follow-up Committee for the Forces.