The IDF confirmed the assassination of the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and head of the military arm of terrorist organization, Izz al-Din al-Haddad.
Haddad, “one of the architects of the brutal October 7 massacre,” was targeted “precise strike” in the city of Gaza, the Israeli military said. Haddad assumed the role of Hamas’ military chief and leader in Gaza after the assassassination of Mohammed Shinwar in May 2025.
Recently, the military says, Haddad “worked to rebuild the capabilities of the terrorist organization’s military arm and to plan numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”
“Throughout the war, Haddad was involved in the detention of many Israeli hostages held hostage by Hamas. Haddad managed the Hamas hostage system and surrounded himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent its elimination,” the IDF said.
He is one of the leaders with the longest tenure in Hamas, having joined the terror group in its infancy. The Israeli Defense Forces says he “maintained close ties with the Hamas leadership” and played “a central role in Hamas’ terrorist dominance” in the Gaza Strip.
Haddad previously served head of Hamas’ Gaza City Brigade and is one of the last senior commanders “who conducted the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre and the management of military operations against Israeli Army troops”, the Israeli Defense Forces added.
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