Israel says it has killed Hamas commander in Gaza air strike
Israel announced that it killed Hamas commander Izzeddin al Haddad, whom it described as “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre”, in an air strike on Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said in a joint statement that Haddad was “responsible for the killing, kidnapping and wounding of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF members.” [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers”.
Three eyewitnesses told the BBC that before a fleeing car was hit, a residential building known as Al-Mu’taz was hit by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions.
The attack was Israel’s last attack on Gaza, despite a ceasefire with Hamas.
Hamas neither confirmed nor denied the allegations that Haddad, the commander of the Qassam Brigades, the group’s armed wing, was killed.
An air strike targeting an apartment block in the center of Gaza City caused a huge fire.
Eyewitnesses said that rescue teams rushed to the scene but faced great difficulties in evacuating the injured.
An eyewitness told the BBC that one body and several injured people were removed from the building.
Three people were killed in the second airstrike, which targeted a car seen leaving the scene, according to witnesses and a local source.
Sources said the vehicle may have been carrying Haddad, who was seriously injured in the first attack.
Eyewitnesses and a local source said that armed Hamas members in civilian clothes evacuated a seriously injured person from a side entrance and put him in a vehicle.
Eyewitnesses said the car was hit about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from the apartment block.
A senior Israeli security official said preliminary information showed Haddad was successfully targeted.
Airstrike on apartment block in central Gaza sparks huge fire [Reuters]
A ceasefire in Gaza came into force on October 10, but Israel has launched regular attacks on Palestinian territory since then.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of violating ceasefire terms and attacking civilians. The Israeli government maintains that it has the authority to target Hamas members.
In turn, he accuses Hamas of refusing to disarm, violating the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, US-led peace efforts have stalled since the beginning of the Iran war. stages of the plan has not entered into force yet
The United States announced the start of the second phase of the plan in January, with the administration of Gaza assumed by an interim, technocratic administration, as well as the demilitarization and reconstruction of the region.
However, with negotiations on disarmament at an impasse, Hamas has since has reactivated the police force and appears to be reasserting its authority.
Netanyahu and Katz said Haddad “refused to implement the agreement spearheaded by US President Trump to disarm Hamas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.”
“We will continue to act strongly and decisively against everyone who participated in the October 7 massacre.”
The two-year-long Gaza war was triggered by the attack on southern Israel led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israel responded by launching a military operation against Hamas in Gaza; More than 72,744 people were killed during this operation. It is stated that 857 of them have been killed since the ceasefire began.
