According to CoinMeta, on August 31, the Israeli Defense Forces issued a statement claiming that earlier in the day, they carried out an operation in the Sabra area of Gaza City, where they killed Omar Salaj, the commander of Hamas' logistics and supply department in Gaza City. The statement stated that Salaj was responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas militants in the Gaza City area, and that the operation against Salaj was aimed at eliminating this threat. The Israeli forces also claimed that Hamas has been recently promoting attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, "systematically violating" the ceasefire agreement.