GAZA CITY, Palestine: Hamas on Sunday reaffirmed its compliance with the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza while rejecting any form of international “guardianship” over the Palestinian territory, following the killing of the group’s senior commander in an Israeli strike.
Hamas, in a statement on the 38th anniversary of the group, warned against “colluding with attempts at displacement and re-engineering the Gaza Strip according to the [Israeli] enemy’s plan,” TRT World reported.
Hamas reiterated that it retains a “legitimate right” to hold weapons and called on Israel to respect the truce, open border crossings, and allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.
Killing of senior Hamas commander
Hamas’s Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed the death of Raed Saad, head of the group’s weapons production, in an Israeli strike on Saturday.
Speaking on the group’s Al-Aqsa TV, al-Hayya said, “The Palestinian people are currently going through difficult times and suffering greatly… with the martyrdom of more than 70,000 people, the latest of whom was the mujahid commander Raed Saad and his companions.”
Israel described Saad as “one of the architects” of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that sparked the war.
The Israeli army said he led Hamas’s weapons production and force build-up. Family sources confirmed his death to AFP.
According to Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal, five people were killed in the Tel al-Hawa district in southwest Gaza City during the strike. Over 25 others were injured.
Bassal said, “Warplanes fired several missiles at the vehicle, setting it ablaze… residents rushed to extinguish the fire, and charred body parts were scattered on the ground.”
Calls for enforcement of ceasefire
Al-Hayya accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with the assassination. He called on the US and other mediators, including former President Donald Trump as a guarantor of the agreement, to compel Israel to implement the ceasefire fully.
“Since the ceasefire started on October 10, Israel has continued to attack Gaza daily – carrying out nearly 800 attacks and killing at least 386 people,” al-Hayya said.
He also criticised Israel for blocking humanitarian aid, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians suffering, particularly after Storm Byron flooded 27,000 tent shelters.
The October 10 truce calls for Hamas disarmament and deployment of an international stabilisation force proposed by Trump.
Al-Hayya said any international role should be limited to maintaining the ceasefire and separating the two sides, rejecting “all forms of guardianship or mandate over Gaza.”
Humanitarian crisis
The strike on Saad comes amid a dire humanitarian situation. The UN General Assembly recently demanded that Israel open unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza and comply with international law.
Al-Hayya said that completing phase one of the ceasefire, including opening the Rafah crossing with Egypt, is a priority to deliver aid and rehabilitate hospitals and infrastructure.
Israel’s military reported that two of its reserve soldiers were lightly injured on Saturday during operations to clear infrastructure in southern Gaza.
Civil defence sources, cited by Al Jazeera, confirmed that two Palestinian teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were also killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents.
