Israel said Saturday it had killed Hamas's armed wing chief Ezzedine Al-Haddad in an air strike in Gaza the previous day, describing him as a key architect of the October 7 attacks. Since Hamas's October 7, 2023 cross-border assault, the Israeli military and intelligence services have waged a campaign targeting the group's senior political leaders and militant commanders in Gaza and across the region. The military said Friday it had carried out an air strike in Gaza targeting Haddad, before confirming his death on Saturday. "The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad was eliminated," the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet domestic security agency. Two Hamas officials also told AFP that Haddad had been killed in an Israeli strike. "Senior commander ... Ezzedine 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.
Gaza: expanding Israeli military zone fuels fears of long-term control
