An Israeli military airstrike in Gaza resulted in the death of the leader of Hamas’s military division, marking the highest-ranking casualty from the Palestinian militant group since a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. in October. The Israeli military reported that Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed in a targeted strike in Gaza City on Friday, following a series of Israeli strikes in Gaza post-ceasefire. Hamas later confirmed the death of Haddad, born in 1970, along with his wife and daughter, emphasizing his pivotal role in directing combat activities and accusing Israel of resorting to political assassinations to achieve its goals after military failures.
A joint funeral ceremony was held for Haddad, his wife, and 19-year-old daughter at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs mosque in central Gaza. The Israeli attacks on Friday resulted in the deaths of seven Palestinians, including three women and a child, with Haddad reportedly killed in an airstrike on an apartment building, according to a Palestinian source.
Since the ceasefire in October, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that approximately 850 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, while Israeli authorities stated that four Israeli soldiers were killed by militants during the same period. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz asserted that Haddad, as the commander of Al-Qassam Brigades, orchestrated the attacks in October 2023 that triggered Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. They accused Haddad of being responsible for numerous acts of violence against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Nicknamed “the Ghost,” Haddad had survived multiple assassination attempts by Israel, Hamas sources claimed. According to Israel’s military, he was one of Hamas’s most experienced commanders, having served in various high-ranking positions since the group’s inception in the 1980s. Despite ongoing indirect negotiations, Israel and Hamas have yet to make significant progress on U.S. President Donald Trump’s postwar initiative for Gaza, aimed at ending years of conflict.
Following the cessation of joint airstrikes with the U.S. in Iran, Israel has intensified its military operations in Gaza, citing increased Hamas activities in the region.