GAZA CITY, Palestine: Hamas and the Israeli military on Saturday confirmed the killing of Ezzedine al-Haddad, the commander of Hamas’s armed wing in Gaza, in an Israeli air strike.
Hamas said al-Haddad was killed on Friday evening in a “treacherous and cowardly assassination” carried out by Israel.
The Palestinian group said he was killed alongside his wife, his daughter and other Palestinian civilians.
Hamas accused Israel of breaching the Gaza ceasefire agreement and continuing attacks on civilians.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a “precise strike” in Gaza City targeting Haddad, confirming on Saturday that he had been killed.
“The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, Ezzedine Al-Haddad was eliminated,” the military said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet domestic security agency.
🔴ELIMINATED: Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Head of Hamas’ military wing and one of the last senior commanders involved in the planning of the October 7 massacre.
Following the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar, Haddad assumed his role and worked to rebuild Hamas’ capabilities and planned… pic.twitter.com/6TW7Wewt7m
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 16, 2026
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir described the killing as a “significant operational achievement”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that Haddad was “responsible for the murder, kidnapping and injury of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers” and described him as “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre”.
They added that Israel would continue operations against anyone involved in the 7 October 2023 attack, which triggered the Gaza war.
Two Hamas officials told AFP that Haddad had been killed in the strike. One senior Hamas official said he was hit in a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City.
A Hamas source, cited by AFP, said Haddad was killed along with his wife and daughter.
Eyewitnesses, cited by the BBC, said a residential building in Gaza City was struck by multiple missiles, sparking a large fire and making rescue efforts difficult.
A second strike reportedly targeted a vehicle leaving the area, killing additional people.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza has continued alongside a declared ceasefire, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Hamas said Israel’s continued strikes amounted to repeated breaches of the truce, while Israel said it retained the right to target Hamas members.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 72,700 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war.
The ministry also says more than 850 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.
