Israel says it killed head of Hamas' military wing

Mourners at Hamas' military wing commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad's funeral, in Gaza City, May 16, 2026. DAWOUD ABU ALKAS / REUTERS Israel said on Saturday, May 16, it had killed Hamas armed wing chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad in an airstrike in Gaza the previous day, describing him as a key architect of the October 7 attacks. "The [Israeli military] and the [Israeli Security Agency] announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Izz al-Din al-Haddad was eliminated," the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet domestic security agency. Read more Subscribers only October 7: New report documents extent of sexual violence committed by Hamas Two Hamas officials also told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Haddad had been killed in an Israeli strike. "Senior commander... Izz al-Din al-Haddad was assassinated in an Israeli strike targeting a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City yesterday," one senior Hamas official said. A member of Hamas's armed wing separately confirmed his death. Haddad was killed along with his wife and a daughter, according to another Hamas source. AFP photographs showed mourners carrying Haddad's body, wrapped in a Hamas flag, on a stretcher from the ruins of a building. It was later taken to a mosque where relatives and mourners offered prayers before carrying it through the streets for burial. The military said Haddad was "one of the last senior commanders in Hamas' military wing who directed the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre." Al-Haddad was also involved in holding Israeli hostages during the war, it added. "Haddad managed Hamas's hostage captivity system and surrounded himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent his elimination," it said. Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, said Haddad was one of the "greatest fighters" in Palestinian history. "Haddad stands among the towering figures of the Palestinian revolution, having sacrificed greatly for the freedom of Jerusalem and for its prisoners," Qassem told AFP. 'Significant operational achievement' Israel's military chief, Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir, called the killing a "significant operational achievement." "In every conversation I held with the hostages who returned, the name of the arch-terrorist Ezz al-Din al-Haddad... came up again and again," Zamir said, in a separate statement. "Today, we succeeded in eliminating him. The [Israeli military] will continue to pursue our enemies, strike them, and hold accountable everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre." Read more Subscribers only Hamas further weakened after Israel kills presumed leader Mohammed Sinwar Over the course of the war, Israel has claimed responsibility for the assassinations of several Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, widely regarded as a mastermind of the October 7 attack. It also killed Mohammed Deif , the longtime commander of Hamas's armed wing and another key architect of the attack. New Le Monde’s app Get the most out of your experience: download the app to enjoy Le Monde in English anywhere, anytime Download Israeli strikes have also targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon, as well as senior Hezbollah commanders allied with the group, including former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Read more Subscribers only Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's charismatic leader for more than three decades, has died Born in 1970, Haddad assumed command of the armed wing in May last year following the killing of his immediate predecessor, also in an Israeli strike, according to a Hamas source. He had previously survived six assassination attempts by Israel, the source told AFP. He was also a founder of Hamas' security service and oversaw prisoner exchanges, including those conducted under the ceasefire reached in October last year. Le Monde with AFP