Israel’s military says Hamas armed chief killed in airstrike on Gaza
Cairo: The Israeli army said on Saturday that it had killed the chief of Hamas’ military wing in an airstrike on Gaza the day before; This was the most senior Hamas official killed by Israel since October’s US-backed ceasefire agreement aimed at halting fighting.
A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Izzeddin al Haddad, born in 1970, was killed in the attack. Hamas did not publicly announce Haddad’s death.
A joint funeral ceremony was held for Haddad, his wife and 19-year-old daughter at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Mosque in central Gaza on Saturday. It was not immediately clear how they died.
Israel launched at least two attacks on Gaza on Friday, killing seven Palestinians, including three women and one child, according to local health officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a joint statement with his defense minister on Friday that the army carried out an airstrike targeting the leader of Hamas, but did not say whether the leader was killed.
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Haddad was the architect of the attacks launched by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which accelerated Israel’s ongoing offensive against Gaza.
They said Haddad, who became the group’s military chief in Gaza after Israel killed Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025, was “responsible for the killing, kidnapping and harming of thousands of Israeli civilians (and) soldiers.”
According to Hamas sources, Haddad, nicknamed ‘The Ghost’, survived many Israeli assassination attempts. The Israeli military says he is one of Hamas’ longest-serving commanders and has risen through the ranks to hold various senior positions since the group’s initial founding in the 1980s.
Israel and Hamas are deadlocked in indirect talks to advance US President Donald Trump’s post-war Gaza plan aimed at ending more than two years of conflict.
Israel has stepped up its attacks on Gaza in the weeks after halting its joint US bombardment of Iran and redirected its fire into devastated Palestinian territory where the military says Hamas fighters have tightened their control.
Reuters
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