Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza City despite a fragile US-brokered ceasefire, targeting Hamas’ senior military commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad, according to a joint statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Emergency officials in Gaza said at least seven people were killed in the attacks, while more than 50 others sustained injuries and were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital for treatment.
Authorities have not confirmed whether al-Haddad was among those killed.
Israel described al-Haddad as one of the masterminds behind the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and accused him of overseeing hostage operations after the assault.
Israeli authorities further alleged that he rejected “to implement the agreement led by US President (Donald) Trump for Hamas to disarm and for the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.”
According to Gaza emergency services, the first strike hit a residential building in the al-Rimal district near Gaza City on Friday afternoon, before another attack targeted a vehicle on a nearby road shortly afterward.
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, told CNN that the facility had received the bodies of seven victims, including three women and a child, following the strikes.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its paramedics responded to both attack sites and transported nearly 30 wounded civilians to Al-Saraya Field Hospital.
Al-Haddad, often referred to as the “Ghost of al-Qassam” because of his secretive nature, is regarded as one of Hamas’ most influential figures. He currently heads the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing.
Following the deaths of several senior Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif, al-Haddad emerged as one of the group’s leading decision-makers.
A senior Israeli security official said preliminary assessments suggested the operation to assassinate al-Haddad may have succeeded.
Hamas did not immediately comment on the incident, while CNN said it could not independently verify whether al-Haddad had been killed or injured.
The latest attack occurred even though a ceasefire has technically remained in effect since October.
Israel has continued conducting strikes across Gaza, saying the operations target Hamas militants or imminent threats posed to Israeli troops stationed in large parts of the enclave.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says more than 850 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began in mid-October.
Speaking on Thursday, Nickolay Mladenov, the official overseeing implementation of the US-brokered truce, admitted the ceasefire was “far from perfect,” although he noted that it had brought “relative stability.”
Mladenov, a former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, stressed that Hamas’ disarmament remains a major obstacle to a lasting agreement.
“The plan is clear: Hamas needs to step back from governance of Gaza, its weapons need to be decommissioned and Gaza deradicalized” he said.
He added that Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza would depend on the implementation of other conditions in the agreement, particularly Hamas’ disarmament and the establishment of civil governance in the territory.
