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Haddad killed in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, described by the Israeli military as one of the last surviving architects of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, and Hamas confirmed the killing.
“Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed on Friday, Israel's army said”
The Hot Springs Sentinel Record reported that Israel said al-Haddad was killed on Friday and that he was killed in a precise strike on Gaza City, while the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said Israel carried out a precise strike on Gaza City on Friday and that Hamas confirmed he was killed along with his wife and daughter.
The International Business Times said the strike hit an apartment building in Rimal and a vehicle that left the area at the same time, and described it as involving three fighter jets and 13 munitions.
The International Business Times also said emergency services in Gaza reported at least seven people were killed and more than 50 others injured, with the wounded taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, while the Hot Springs Sentinel Record said Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect in October.
In Qatar, MEMRI reported that Qatari outlets praised al-Haddad after his assassination, framing him as a martyr and saying his killing would not bring the resistance to surrender but would continue “until the occupier is expelled” and Palestine is liberated.
Funeral praise and threats
Qatari voices cited by MEMRI used al-Haddad’s funeral to argue that the resistance would keep fighting, with Jabar Al-Harmi, editor-in-chief of the official Qatari daily Al-Sharq, writing: "The assassination of commanders will not eliminate the resistance."
MEMRI also quoted Qatari journalist Jabel Bin Nasser Al-Marri saying al-Haddad’s assassination would be “renewed fuel for the spirit of the resistance,” and that what Israel believed to be decisive was “nothing but new fuel for a more aggressive conflict [against Israel]."
The Hot Springs Sentinel Record reported that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile and that the top diplomat overseeing it said it has stalled because of the deadlock over disarming Hamas, while both sides traded accusations of violations.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that at Al Aqsa Martyrs Mosque in central Gaza, a joint funeral was held for Haddad, his wife and their 19-year-old daughter, and said Israel carried out at least two attacks on Gaza on Friday killing seven Palestinians, including three women and one child, according to local medics.
In Israel’s framing, the Hot Springs Sentinel Record said Israel’s army chief of staff called his killing a significant operation and said Israel would continue pursuing its enemies to hold them accountable, while the International Business Times said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz released a joint statement calling al-Haddad “the commander of Hamas's military wing and one of the principal architects of the October 7 massacre.”
Hostages, deadlock, and fallout
Israel’s case for the strike, as described by the International Business Times, included allegations that al-Haddad “surrounded himself with hostages to prevent his elimination,” and it said Israeli intelligence assessed he personally held hostages to deter attacks against himself.
“"surrounded himself with hostages to prevent his elimination."”
The International Business Times further said the IDF said al-Haddad surrounded himself with hostages and described a hostage account in which Romi Gonen recounted speaking to al-Haddad during the end of the November 2023 ceasefire, with al-Haddad telling her that her attacker would be found and that she would be prioritized for release.
The Hot Springs Sentinel Record reported that Israel said al-Haddad had assumed the role of Hamas commander after his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed, and that the army said al-Haddad had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages during the war as a shield against an attack.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser said Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked in indirect talks to advance President Donald Trump’s post-war plan for Gaza meant to end more than two years of fighting, and it said Israel has stepped up attacks in Gaza in the weeks since halting its joint bombing with the U.S. in Iran.
Across the conflict, MEMRI reported that Qatari outlets asserted that the children who attended al-Haddad’s funeral would follow in his footsteps and even perhaps grow up to replace him, tying the killing to a promise of continued resistance.
