Israel Kills Hamas Armed Wing Chief Ezzedine Al-Haddad in Gaza Strike

Israel said it carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Ezzedine Al-Haddad, described as chief of the armed wing of Hamas, and the defense minister's office said the IDF targeted “arch-terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad, commander of Hamas's military wing and one of the principal architects of the October 7 massacre.”

“The announcement by Israel of targeting what it described as the commander of Hamas's military wing, Ezeddine al-Haddad, on Friday evening, once again drew attention to the man Tel Aviv describes as the 'foremost military mind' remaining in Gaza after a string of assassinations that have included first‑row Hamas leaders since the war began”

Al-Jazeera Net

A military official said “BDA (battle damage assessment) confirmation is still pending,” while Gaza's civil defense agency said one person was killed and around 20 others wounded after Israeli warplanes “bombed a residential building” in the Al-Ramal area of Gaza City.

Al-Jazeera Net

The BBC reported that Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yisrael Katz said Haddad had been “responsible for the murder, kidnapping and injury of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” and three eyewitnesses told the BBC that a residential building known as Al-Mu'taz was struck by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions.

CNN said the strikes killed at least seven people and more than 50 others were injured and taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, while it also said it was not immediately clear if al-Haddad was one of the dead.

In the same BBC account, rescue teams rushed to the scene but faced significant difficulties evacuating the wounded, and one eyewitness told the BBC that a body and several injured people had been removed from the building.

Middle East Eye said Netanyahu and Israel Katz announced in a joint statement that “We assassinated [Izz al-Din] al-Haddad, commander of Hamas’ armed wing in the Gaza Strip,” and it added that Hamas had not issued an immediate response to the announcement.

The Times of Israel described a “joyous response from several of the hostages he had personally held,” and it reported that Netanyahu and Israel Katz released a statement calling him the “commander of Hamas’s military wing and one of the principal architects of the October 7 massacre.”

BBC

ynetnews reported that former hostage Liri Albag celebrated the reported strike in a post on Instagram writing, “Every dog has its day — and you are one huge dog.”

ynetnews also quoted Emily Damari thanking security forces and calling it “a very, very, important closure for many people,” and it said Romi Gonen wrote on Instagram that “Your name will be avenged and revenge will be taken until the last of the terrorists.”

CNN reported that a senior Israeli security official said initial indications were that the assassination of al-Haddad was successful, while it said Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment and CNN was unable to independently confirm whether al-Haddad was killed or wounded.

The BBC said the strike was the latest launched by Israel on Gaza despite a ceasefire with Hamas, and it reported that Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of breaching the terms of the truce while the Israeli government maintains it has license to target Hamas members.

“Despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, Israel carried out strikes on Gaza City targeting Hamas’ most senior military leader, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz”

CNN

CNN said the attack came despite an ostensible ceasefire that has been in place since October, and it reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Israeli strikes have killed more than 850 people in Gaza since the ceasefire went into effect in mid-October.

Naharnet reported that despite an October ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as Israeli strikes continue, with both the military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce, and it said at least 856 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began.

The Times of Israel said the strike threw into question the future of the ceasefire, and it reported that a senior Israeli security official said the strike was approved by the political echelon about a week and a half ago.

In the same BBC account, it said a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on 10 October, but Israel has conducted regular strikes across the Palestinian territory since then, and it described a second air strike targeting a car seen leaving the scene that killed three people according to eyewitnesses and a local source.