A high-ranking Hamas official confirmed to Reuters on Saturday that the leader of the organization’s military operations had been killed, following Israeli airstrikes that targeted him the previous day.
Witnesses in Gaza City reported that local mosques had proclaimed Izz al-Din al-Haddad’s “martyrdom.” His death marks the highest-profile Hamas leader eliminated by Israeli forces since an October ceasefire agreement backed by the United States was designed to end hostilities in Gaza.
The organization has not issued an official public statement confirming Haddad’s death.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with his defence minister, released a joint statement Friday announcing they had targeted Haddad, though they stopped short of confirming whether the operation resulted in his death.
Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz described Haddad as a key planner behind the October 7, 2023 attacks conducted by Hamas militants that triggered Israel’s continued military campaign in Gaza.
According to their statement, Haddad assumed leadership of the group’s military operations in Gaza following Israel’s elimination of Mohammad Sinwar in May 2025, and “was responsible for the murder, abduction, and harm inflicted on thousands of Israeli civilians (and) soldiers.”
Israel and Hamas continue to face an impasse in indirect negotiations aimed at advancing U.S. President Donald Trump’s post-conflict strategy for Gaza, which seeks to conclude more than two years of warfare.
Gaza medical personnel reported Friday that the airstrikes, which hit both a residential building and a vehicle, resulted in at least seven fatalities, including three women and one child, with at least 50 people wounded. Officials have not confirmed whether Haddad was among those killed.
Israeli forces have intensified their operations in Gaza during recent weeks after suspending joint military actions with the U.S. in Iran, refocusing their efforts on the devastated Palestinian territory where military officials report Hamas fighters are consolidating control.
