In Gaza, 'the disappearance of almost all Hamas leaders paves the way for the emergence of a new generation'

This interview was originally published in French before Israel said it had killed Mohammed Odeh , the replacement of Izz al-Din al-Haddad as head of the military wing of Hamas. As negotiations between Hamas and the mediators appointed by the United States in Cairo stalled, and with internal elections underway within the movement, the Israeli army on May 15 killed Hamas's military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad , one of the last commanders of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, who belonged to the founding generation of the group and was still alive. Leïla Seurat, a researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and a specialist on the Palestinian Islamist movement, analyzes the impact of his assassination and the fate of Hamas in the enclave. Who was Izz al-Din al-Haddad, killed by Israel along with seven others, including his wife and daughter? He was one of the pillars of the Al-Qassam Brigades. Born in 1970 in Gaza City, he joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987 and gradually rose through the ranks, before becoming head of the Gaza brigade in 2021. He was also thought to be part of the Al-Majd cell, the intelligence unit charged with tracking down collaborators with Israel, founded by Yahya Sinwar [the leader of Hamas from 2017, killed by Israel on October 16, 2024]. In May 2025, after the assassination of Mohammed Sinwar , Yahya's brother, whom he had replaced, al-Haddad became the fifth leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades. He was described as the one who restructured the group during Israel's ground offensive and set up an ambush strategy that inflicted losses on the Israeli army. He was also one of the architects of the October 7 attack [alongside Yahya Sinwar], and is said to have played an important role in the holding of Israeli hostages in Gaza, notably thanks to his command of Hebrew. Read more Subscribers only Israeli hostages gradually lift veil on conditions in captivity Israel claims that al-Haddad was preventing the implementation of phase two of the Trump plan, which calls for the demilitarization of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Is that accurate? You have 77.14% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.