Israel confirms death of Hamas military leader Izz ad-Din al-Haddad

The Israeli military and Shin Bet security agency announced on Saturday that they had killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a senior commander in Hamas’s military wing.

The Israeli officials described him as one of the last high-ranking leaders involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Hamas military leader Izz ad-Din al-Haddad was killed in an Israeli strike on Friday in the Gaza Strip, which the IDF confirmed on Saturday.

In a statement released on Saturday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir described the operation as a "significant operational achievement."

"In every conversation I held with the hostages who returned, the name of the arch-terrorist Izz al-Din al-Haddad, one of the chief perpetrators of the October 7 massacre and the head of Hamas’ military wing, came up again and again," said Zamir, adding, "Today, we succeeded in eliminating him.”

“The IDF will continue to pursue our enemies, strike them, and hold accountable everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. We will not relent until we reach them all - this is our duty to all those who returned and to all citizens of the State of Israel,” he further mentioned in his statement.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement on Friday evening that Haddad had been targeted.

Israeli officials alleged that Haddad operated in close proximity to hostages and managed parts of Hamas’s hostage-holding system as protection against targeted Israeli strikes.

According to the IDF, Haddad was among Hamas’s veteran leadership figures, having joined the organization during its early years.

Over decades within the movement, he held several senior military positions, including commander of the Gaza City Brigade and leadership roles across other Hamas military units.

The announcement of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad death comes as Israel continues its broader effort to dismantle Hamas’s command structure after the October 7 attacks, during which Hamas-led militants killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted more than 250 others, according to Israeli authorities.