Israel Targets Mohammed Awad, New Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Commander, After Ezz Al-Din Haddad Assassination

Israel announced it targeted Mohammed Awad, the new commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip 11 days after the assassination of his predecessor.

CNN reported that the strike occurred west of Gaza City and that it targeted Awad, who was considered one of the leading candidates to succeed Ezz al-Din Haddad after his assassination earlier this month.

Al-Jazeera Net

CNN said the strike killed at least three people and injured more than ten others, citing Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, while it remained unclear whether Awad was killed in the attack.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said, "Awad was responsible for killing, kidnapping, and injuring many civilians and Israeli soldiers."

Hamas confirmed Awad’s death in a Wednesday statement, saying it mourns to the Palestinian people the loss of the great Qassam commander Mohammad Awda, who reportedly died on Tuesday evening alongside his wife and two of his children.

The BBC reported that a local Hamas source told it that Awda and his wife were killed, and that his son died of his wounds in hospital on Wednesday morning, with a funeral held for him after Friday prayers at a mosque in Gaza City.

Al-Jazeera Net

Israel’s government said it had the right to target Hamas members, and it accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by not disarming, while the BBC noted that Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and attacking civilians.

The BBC also quoted Netanyahu saying, "Israel will continue pursuing all those who participated in the October 7 massacre," and added that he said, "sooner or later Israel will reach them all."

The BBC said the Tuesday strike hit the top three floors of the Kiyali Building in central Gaza City, where streets were crowded with shoppers preparing for Eid al-Adha, and that rescue teams faced difficulty reaching the upper floors due to the extent of destruction and crowding.

CNN reported that the strike was carried out 11 days after the assassination of Awad’s predecessor, and it described Israel’s targeting as part of a succession plan after Ezz al-Din Haddad.

Al-Jazeera Net said Hamas mourned Awda, known as Abu Amr, and described his assassination as a "flagrant violation of all values, norms, laws, and divine commandments."

Al-Jazeera Net also said the assassination came 12 days after the assassination of the commander-in-chief of the Qassam Brigades, Az-Din Haddad, and it referenced Gaza’s Government Media Office saying Israel had committed 3,005 violations, resulting in the killing of 910 Palestinians and the injury of 2,747 others.