The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have wiped out another key Hamas leader as the conflict in Gaza presses on. In a significant development, the Israeli military killed Ahmed Siam, who was reportedly holding about 1,000 Palestinian civilians hostage in a Gaza hospital.

The operation that killed Siam was part of a larger IDF action in the Gaza Strip, which also eliminated 150 Hamas terrorists in one battle and brought about the destruction of Hamas’ Outpost “Badr.”

The IDF eliminated Ahmed Siam, a company commander of Hamas’s Naser Radwan Company. Siam was responsible for holding approximately 1,000 Gazan residents hostage in Gaza’s Rantisi Hospital preventing them from evacuating south to safety, the IDF said on Saturday.

The assassination was coordinated by the IDF and the Shin Bet, including ground and air forces.

Though announced Saturday, IDF aircraft struck Siam two days ago. He was killed while hiding in the “al Buraq” school, where additional terrorists under his command were also hiding and were killed.

Siam was a commander in Hamas' Naser Radwan Company, and is another example of Hamas using civilians in Gaza as human shields for terrorist purposes.

“Siam demonstrates once again that Hamas uses the civilians of the Gaza Strip as human shields for terror purposes,” the IDF said.

IDF aircraft just struck Ahmed Siam, responsible for holding approximately 1,000 Gazan residents and patients hostage at the Rantisi Hospital, and preventing their evacuation southward.

Siam was a commander in Hamas' Naser Radwan Company, and is another example of Hamas using… pic.twitter.com/RGJAISFjxL

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 11, 2023

"Siam was a commander in Hamas' Naser Radwan Company, and is another example of Hamas using civilians in Gaza as human shields for terrorist purposes," the last line of the tweet reads.

Siam was one of the primary Hamas terrorists responsible for preventing Palestinians in Gaza from fleeing the region to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the war between Israel and the terrorist organization. The operation to kill Siam was the result of a collaboration between the IDF and the Israeli security agency The Shin Bet using ground and air forces.

This development comes amid calls from the left in the Western world for Israel to stop its assault in Gaza, citing civilian deaths. However, the Jewish state’s resolve remains firm. During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s actions, arguing that the blame for civilian deaths lies “squarely on Hamas.” He also discussed how the terrorist group prevents civilians from fleeing from war zones and uses civilian buildings like schools and hospitals for military purposes.

BASH: "The Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, said that far too many Palestinian civilians have been killed. What is your response to that?"

NETANYAHU: "I think any civilian loss is a tragedy. And the blame should be placed squarely on Hamas." pic.twitter.com/MQ66sHmVQg

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 12, 2023

Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz echoed Netanyahu’s sentiments. He stressed that Hamas is responsible for the problems faced by Gaza’s residents.

Unfortunately, no matter how much evidence is presented of Hamas’ abuse of Palestinian civilians, there will still be some claiming Israel is the primary party at fault for the death of noncombatants. Still, the fact of the matter is that there can be no peace between Israel and the Palestinians until Hamas is no longer a reality.