Israel Strikes Hamas Military Chief Izz Al-Din Al-Haddad In Gaza City

Israel carried out an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday targeting Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz saying the strike hit a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.

The BBC reported that three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions struck a residential building known as Al-Mu'taz, before a fleeing car was hit, and it said a second air strike targeting a car killed three people.

Anadolu Ajansı

CNN said the Israeli strikes killed at least seven people and injured more than 50 others, with casualties taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, and it reported that a second strike targeted a car on a nearby street after a residential building was hit.

The Times of Israel said the strike came amid a shaky ceasefire between Israel and the terror group and that footage showed a huge cloud of dust and smoke rising from the shattered, burning building.

In the immediate aftermath, it was not immediately clear whether al-Haddad was killed or injured, and Hamas did not immediately acknowledge or comment on the strike.

Netanyahu and Katz said in a joint statement that al-Haddad was “one of the architects” of the Oct. 7 attack, and the BBC reported that they described him as “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre”.

The Times of Israel said the strike prompted a joyous response from several of the hostages he had personally held, and it quoted former hostage soldier Liri Albag celebrating the apparent death of Haddad with the Arabic post “Every dog has its day, and you were a real bitch.”

BBC

CNN reported that the director of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said the medical complex had received the bodies of three women and a child among the seven dead from the strikes.

The Times of Israel also quoted Albag telling Channel 12 that “he held us captive, we were in his tunnels,” and it described her saying he was “one of the architects of October 7th, responsible for a lot of suffering.”

While Israel’s statement framed the strike as targeting a senior Hamas military leader, the BBC said Hamas neither confirmed nor denied claims Haddad had been killed.

The BBC said the air strike was the latest launched by Israel on Gaza despite a ceasefire with Hamas, and it reported that a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on 10 October.

“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 Israel has carried out regular strikes that it says are targeting Hamas or what officials describe as imminent threats.

The BBC reported that Israel threatened that it would continue to act forcefully and decisively against anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre, and it quoted Netanyahu and Katz saying, “We will continue to act forcefully and decisively against anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre.”

The Toronto Star reported that Netanyahu and Katz threatened that Israel will continue to work against all those who took part in the Oct. 7 attack, quoting their statement: “Sooner or later, Israel will reach you,”.

In the broader war context, the Toronto Star said more than 850 people have been killed since the ceasefire agreement reached in October, and it reported that over 72,700 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’ 2023 attack.