Israel confirms the death of the head of Hamas' armed wing

(AFP) The head of the armed wing of Hamas, Ezzedine Al-Haddad, described by Israel as one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack, was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza the previous day, the army and Hamas confirmed Saturday.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli army and intelligence services have waged an extensive campaign against the group's top political leaders and militant commanders in Gaza and throughout the region.

On Friday, the army announced that it had carried out an airstrike in Gaza against Haddad, and confirmed his death on Saturday.

"The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the Gaza City area, the terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad was killed," the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet, the internal security agency.

Two Hamas officials also confirmed to AFP that Haddad had been killed in an Israeli strike.

"Commander Ezzedine Al-Haddad was killed yesterday in an Israeli strike that targeted an apartment building and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City," a senior Hamas official said.

A member of Hamas' armed wing confirmed his death separately.

AFP photographs showed several people carrying Haddad's supposed body, wrapped in a Hamas flag, on a stretcher from the ruins of a building.

The military claimed Haddad was "one of the last senior commanders of Hamas' military wing who led the planning and execution of the Oct. 7 massacre."

Haddad was also involved in the holding of Israeli hostages during the war, it added.

"Haddad ran the Hamas hostage system and surrounded himself with them in an attempt to prevent their elimination," the statement said.

"Significant achievement"

Israeli army chief Lt. Col. Eyal Zamir called the killing a "significant operational achievement."

"In all the conversations I held with the returned hostages, the name of arch-terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad... came up again and again," Zamir said in a separate statement.

"Today we succeeded in eliminating him. The IDF will continue to pursue our enemies, attack them and hold accountable all those who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre."

Over the course of the war, Israel has claimed responsibility for the assassinations of several Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, considered by many to be the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack.

It also killed Mohammed Deif, a longtime commander of Hamas' armed wing and another key architect of the attack.

Israeli strikes have also targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon, as well as senior Hezbollah commanders allied with the group, including former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.