Israeli military forces announced Saturday they had eliminated Izz al-Din al-Haddad, described as the commander of Hamas’ armed wing, during a precision operation in Gaza City targeting a high-ranking official involved in overseeing military operations and reconstructing Hamas’ fighting capacity. Al-Haddad represents the highest-ranking Hamas official eliminated since the ceasefire took effect last October.
Military officials stated the operation focused on al-Haddad’s location in Gaza City. Reports from Reuters indicated his spouse and child also perished during the strike.
The IDF released a statement Saturday explaining that despite ceasefire terms requiring Hamas to surrender weapons, al-Haddad had recently “acted to rebuild the capabilities of the terrorist organization’s military wing and to plan numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”
Images from AFP captured mourners transporting al-Haddad’s remains on a stretcher covered with a Hamas banner through the debris of a destroyed structure.
Military sources revealed that within the previous two weeks, they had also eliminated two Hamas operatives connected to the October 7 invasion. These individuals were named as Iyad Muhammad Al-Matouq and Khaled Muhammad Salem Jouda.
In related developments, Hamas leadership voting concluded without a decisive outcome, leading to arrangements for additional balloting, according to Ynet’s reporting. Neither candidate achieved success in the initial voting round between Khalil al-Hayya and Khaled Mashal, the primary rivals for organizational leadership.
