A delicate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas faces mounting pressure after Israeli forces eliminated Hamas’s chief military commander on Friday.
Both Hamas and Israeli security officials verified the death of Izz al-Din al-Haddad in the targeted operation.
Israeli authorities consider al-Haddad a key planner behind Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, which sparked a broader Middle Eastern conflict.
Ido Zelkovitz, who leads the Middle Eastern Studies program at Yezreel Valley College and serves as a research fellow at the University of Haifa, spoke to The Media Line about the significance of the operation. “This is a significant move,” Zelkovitz explained. “This is not only the elimination of the person in charge of Hamas’ military operations, but he also had the knowledge about Hamas’ deployment from the bottom up and was at the heart of Hamas’ organizational memory.”
Zelkovitz further noted the pressure on Hamas leadership: “What we are seeing is Hamas more and more preoccupied with its survival, alongside its natural efforts to keep and develop its strength. Israel is gradually eliminating all of its leadership, and they are busy running from one hiding place to another.”
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz stated that Israel viewed al-Haddad as blocking progress on the US-mediated agreement’s next phases.
A statement issued Friday night after confirming al-Haddad’s death declared: “He held our hostages captive under extreme cruelty, launched terrorist attacks against our forces, and refused to implement the agreement led by US President Trump to disarm Hamas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.”
The assassination occurs during an impasse between the parties regarding the ceasefire’s continuation. The central dispute centers on Israel’s insistence that Hamas surrender its weapons, which the militant organization rejects while Israel maintains its non-negotiable stance. Israel pledged to oust Hamas from authority when launching its counteroffensive in October 2023.
The truce took hold two years afterward, in October 2025. Hamas freed all remaining Israeli captives, while Israeli troops pulled back from certain Gaza areas, maintaining positions along the “Yellow Line” – zones where Israeli forces may continue operating under the ceasefire terms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that Israel maintains authority over 60% of the Gaza Strip.
Speaking to an audience, he stated: “Today its 60%, tomorrow we shall see,” hinting at Israel’s future plans.
The existing arrangement, where Israel controls significant portions of Gaza while Hamas retains authority, creates conditions for inevitable future hostilities between the adversaries.
UN statistics indicate that humanitarian assistance entering Gaza has grown consistently since the ceasefire began. The region and its residents, who endured intensive Israeli military operations, sustained devastating damage, with recovery projected to require years.
Sharona Shir Zablodovsky, a public policy and national security specialist at the Dvorah Forum, told The Media Line: “The confrontation is inevitable. The humanitarian aid, which is aimed at helping the civilian population, is still being taken over by Hamas, which is trading with it, raising funds for its own rehabilitation.”
UN data reveals a substantial decrease in humanitarian supplies seized by Hamas or civilians before reaching designated recipients.
Gaza’s humanitarian conditions remain critical. Residents continue experiencing severe shortages of basic necessities, including food, potable water, and healthcare. Recent UN assessments indicate more than two million inhabitants require urgent aid, worsened by continuing hostilities and restrictions that impede relief distribution.
Although humanitarian supply flows have improved markedly since the ceasefire, delivery remains uneven, keeping many civilians reliant on international assistance. Ongoing military operations and political deadlock intensify the crisis, maintaining Gaza’s population in persistent vulnerability and uncertainty.
Each side blames the other for ceasefire violations, endangering President Trump’s comprehensive Gaza peace initiative. The plan faces obstacles from Hamas’s weapon retention and Israel’s continued military presence and attacks in Gaza.
The American strategy, developed by President Trump’s advisors Jared Kushner and Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, envisions Gaza’s demilitarization and replacement of Hamas with a technocratic administration. These phases should have commenced according to the timeline.
Zelkovitz observed the lack of progress: “In reality, we have not seen any steps taken in this direction. Hamas has not accepted the basic conditions, and what we are seeing is a gradual intensification of the fighting between the sides.”
Zablodovsky shared similar concerns about deteriorating conditions, contending that Gaza’s fundamental dynamics remain essentially unchanged, forecasting additional violence for both parties.
“We are reaching a boiling point; the question is when the confrontation will come and what the intensity will be,” Zablodovsky stated. “As long as Hamas controls territory, with popular support, we are back at square one, and things haven’t changed.”
She added: “Israel’s policy needs to be to use more force and further promote voluntary immigration of Palestinians from Gaza.”
Shortly after taking office last year, President Trump suggested Gaza’s complete population relocate to neighboring nations during reconstruction. The proposal generated widespread international condemnation and rejection, with critics arguing it constituted forced displacement violating Palestinians’ homeland rights. Advocates presented the concept as addressing Gaza’s destruction and humanitarian emergency. Netanyahu’s senior coalition members welcomed the idea, viewing it as advancing their Gaza reoccupation aspirations.
Limited numbers of Gazans have departed through evacuation, medical transfer, and emigration programs since hostilities began. Complete permanent resettlement data remains unavailable, but available figures suggest minimal trends.
Meanwhile, Israel continues expanding its territorial control in Gaza.
While Hamas and international observers consider this Israeli ceasefire violations, Israel frames it as punishment for Hamas violations – specifically weapon retention and blocking technocratic governance in Gaza.
Zelkovitz explained Israel’s position: “It is also an Israeli statement about its operational intentions, giving it more control over territory that is needed in order to guarantee the safety of its forces in Gaza. Hamas has shown no interest in changing the reality on the ground the way the US and Israel want it to change.”
Following the ceasefire, Israel has expanded its Gaza presence and continued targeting Hamas positions. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry reports over 850 Palestinian deaths since the truce began last fall.
Hamas has issued multiple recent declarations refusing disarmament.
Currently, both Hamas and Israel appear managing confrontation levels without major armed conflict escalation.
“We could see a re-run of what we saw before the war,” Zablodovsky warned, referencing nearly two decades when Hamas strengthened while Israel overlooked the buildup.
The ceasefire’s instability may not immediately trigger confrontation, but could create conditions where Israeli forces remain in Gaza alongside Hamas control of territory sections. However, the combination of military actions, humanitarian requirements, and political maneuvering displays characteristics of an unstable situation that could rapidly deteriorate.
