An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing, who was one of the last surviving architects of the attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, the Israeli military said Saturday. Hamas confirmed the death.Related video above: Palestinian journalist speaks after a year in Israeli prisonIzz al-Din al-Haddad was killed Friday, Israel’s army said, describing him as one of the senior Hamas military commanders who directed the planning and execution of the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw more than 250 taken hostage.A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, confirmed the killing on social media.The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, and the top diplomat overseeing it says it has stalled because of the deadlock over disarming Hamas. Both sides have traded accusations of violations. Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect in October, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. The ministry overall says Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the war have devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 72,700 people.Israel said that al-Haddad had assumed the role of Hamas commander after his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed. The army said that al-Haddad had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages during the war as a shield against an attack.Al-Haddad’s family confirmed his death in Friday’s strike to The Associated Press. Six other people, including his wife and daughter, were also killed. His two sons were killed earlier in the war.His body was wrapped in Hamas and Palestinian flags as it was carried by mourners at Saturday’s funeral in Gaza City.Al-Haddad joined Hamas when it was established in the 1980s, and was a member of the Qassam Brigades’ Majd section tasked with going after collaborators with Israel. He was also a member of Hamas’ Military Council, the highest group of commanders that played a key role in the attacks that sparked the war.Israel’s army chief of staff called his killing a significant operation, and said Israel would continue pursuing its enemies to hold them accountable.A Palestinian shot and killed in the West BankViolence also flared Saturday in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli troops shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.Hassan Fayyad was fatally shot in his thigh, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Israel’s military said troops first fired warning shots at a person trying to infiltrate the Jenin camp and then shot him again when he did not comply. They later provided him with medical treatment as he was transferred to the hospital, it said.Israeli troops Thursday shot and killed a 15-year-old boy in Eastern Lubban town in Nablus, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israel’s military said it identified three people hurling rocks toward Israeli vehicles and “endangering lives,” and troops fired at them, killing one of them.Also Friday, settlers set fire to a mosque and vehicles in the village of Jibiya, northwest of Ramallah, Palestinian religious authorities said. CCTV footage showed people pouring flammable material on the mosque and at least two vehicles, Sabir Shalash, the head of Jibiya’s municipal council, said. Spray-painted Hebrew slogans were also found on the mosque’s walls, he said.The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs described the attack as “a cowardly terrorist act” and criticized the international community’s inaction toward mounting settler attacks against Muslim and Christian sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.The Israeli military and police said that they were deployed to the area and did not locate any suspects, but they were investigating. The army said it “strongly condemns” attacks on religious institutions.——-Magdy reported from Cairo.
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing, who was one of the last surviving architects of the attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, the Israeli military said Saturday. Hamas confirmed the death.
Related video above: Palestinian journalist speaks after a year in Israeli prison
Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed Friday, Israel’s army said, describing him as one of the senior Hamas military commanders who directed the planning and execution of the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw more than 250 taken hostage.
A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, confirmed the killing on social media.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, and the top diplomat overseeing it says it has stalled because of the deadlock over disarming Hamas. Both sides have traded accusations of violations. Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect in October, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. The ministry overall says Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the war have devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 72,700 people.
Israel said that al-Haddad had assumed the role of Hamas commander after his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed. The army said that al-Haddad had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages during the war as a shield against an attack.
Al-Haddad’s family confirmed his death in Friday’s strike to The Associated Press. Six other people, including his wife and daughter, were also killed. His two sons were killed earlier in the war.
His body was wrapped in Hamas and Palestinian flags as it was carried by mourners at Saturday’s funeral in Gaza City.
Al-Haddad joined Hamas when it was established in the 1980s, and was a member of the Qassam Brigades’ Majd section tasked with going after collaborators with Israel. He was also a member of Hamas’ Military Council, the highest group of commanders that played a key role in the attacks that sparked the war.
Israel’s army chief of staff called his killing a significant operation, and said Israel would continue pursuing its enemies to hold them accountable.
A Palestinian shot and killed in the West Bank
Violence also flared Saturday in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli troops shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Hassan Fayyad was fatally shot in his thigh, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Israel’s military said troops first fired warning shots at a person trying to infiltrate the Jenin camp and then shot him again when he did not comply. They later provided him with medical treatment as he was transferred to the hospital, it said.
Israeli troops Thursday shot and killed a 15-year-old boy in Eastern Lubban town in Nablus, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israel’s military said it identified three people hurling rocks toward Israeli vehicles and “endangering lives,” and troops fired at them, killing one of them.
Also Friday, settlers set fire to a mosque and vehicles in the village of Jibiya, northwest of Ramallah, Palestinian religious authorities said. CCTV footage showed people pouring flammable material on the mosque and at least two vehicles, Sabir Shalash, the head of Jibiya’s municipal council, said. Spray-painted Hebrew slogans were also found on the mosque’s walls, he said.
The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs described the attack as “a cowardly terrorist act” and criticized the international community’s inaction toward mounting settler attacks against Muslim and Christian sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military and police said that they were deployed to the area and did not locate any suspects, but they were investigating. The army said it “strongly condemns” attacks on religious institutions.
——-
Magdy reported from Cairo.
