The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the assassination of Abdul Fattah Al-Zeriei, the deputy minister for economy in Gaza, in an airstrike on Sunday that also killed his mother, Anadolu Agency reports.

A military statement said that an airstrike “eliminated Abdul Fattah Al-Zeriei,” claiming that he was an “operative in the Manufacturing Department of Hamas’ Military Wing, who also served as Hamas’ minister for economy in the Gaza Strip.”

The statement further claimed that Al-Zeriei was responsible for the distribution of fuel, gas, and funds for hostile purposes.

On Sunday, the Gaza Media Office said that Al-Zeriei was killed in an airstrike on a house in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, which also claimed the life of his mother.