Israeli strike targets Hamas military leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad, ‘last architect of Oct.7’ |
Israel said that it had targeted Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip and the head of the terror group’s military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday. While there was no immediate confirmation that he was killed, news of the strike prompted a joyous response from several of the hostages he had personally held and many hailed the apparent death of the last of the major architects of the October 7, 2023, massacre.
The strike, which came amid a shaky ceasefire between Israel and the terror group, hit a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. Footage from the scene showed a huge cloud of dust and smoke rising from the shattered, burning building.
Minutes after the airstrike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz released a statement confirming that they had given the order to target Haddad, calling him the “commander of Hamas’s military wing and one of the principal architects of the October 7 massacre.”
“Al-Haddad was responsible for the murder, abduction, and harm inflicted upon thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the statement said.
“He held our hostages in brutal captivity, orchestrated terrorist attacks against our forces, and refused to implement the agreement advanced by US President Donald Trump for Hamas’s disarmament and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fate of Haddad, who became the terror group’s military chief in the Gaza Strip after Israel’s killing of commander Muhammad Sinwar in May 2025.
Haddad is the most senior Hamas official targeted with a strike by Israel since an October US-backed deal that was meant to halt fighting in Gaza. The attack comes as Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked in talks to advance US President Donald Trump’s post-war plan for Gaza.
Medics in Gaza said at least three people were killed and 20 were injured in airstrikes targeting an apartment and a vehicle. It was not immediately clear if Haddad was one of the dead.
The Israeli Air Force struck a hideout apartment where Haddad was believed to be, along with a vehicle that left the location at the same time, to prevent an attempt by the Hamas leader to flee, a military source said.
Officials said three jets took part in the strike,........