The Israeli Defense Forces on Saturday confirmed the killing of Hamas armed wing commander Ezzedin al-Haddad in an air strike in Gaza.
“The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Ezzedin Al-Haddad was eliminated,” the Israeli military said, in reference to itself and Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet.
The military further said that Haddad was “one of the last senior commanders in Hamas’s military wing” who had been involved in the “planning and execution of the October 7th” attack.
‘Surrounded himself with hostages’: Israeli military
Two Hamas officials also confirmed to AFP that Haddad had been killed in an Israeli strike which hit a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City on Friday.
The Israeli military claimed that Haddad had, throughout the Israel-Hamas war, been involved in holding of many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.
“Haddad managed Hamas’s hostage captivity system and surrounded himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent his elimination,” the Israeli Defense Forces added.
Haddad was the senior-most Hamas member killed by Israel since an October US-backed ceasefire which was agreed upon by both sides to halt the fighting in Gaza, Reuters news agency reported.
A joint funeral was held on Saturday for Haddad, his wife and 19-year-old daughter at the Al Aqsa Martyrs mosque in central Gaza, according to the Reuters report.
Seven Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Friday
Israel had carried out two strikes in Gaza on Friday, which led to the deaths of seven Palestinians, including three women and a child, Reuters reported citing local medics.
The military’s air strike to target the Hamas leader was earlier announced in a joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Israel Katz.
Netanyahu and Katz referred to Haddas as the architect of the October 7, 2023 attacks launched by Hamas against Israel.
Who was Ezzedin Al-Haddad?
Haddad was born in 1970, and became Hamas’ military chief in Gaza after Israel’s killing of Mohammad Sinwar in May 2025. He was nicknamed the ‘Ghost’, having survived multiple of Israel’s attempts to kill him, Reuters reported citing Hamas sources.
Netanyahu and Katz in the joint statement had said Haddas was “responsible for the murder, abduction, and harm inflicted on thousands of Israeli civilians (and) soldiers”, Reuters reported. The Israeli military said that he was one of Hamas’ longest-serving commanders, rising through the ranks from the group’s early establishment in the 1980s to hold several senior positions.
