The commander of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was martyred in an Israeli strike on Friday evening, according to local media sources.
Al-Haddad is the latest of 900 deaths since the ceasefire was agreed in October last year. The so-called US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza has been marked by at least 2 400 documented Israeli violations that expose the truce from an Israeli perspective is not worth the paper it is written on.
Friday night’s attack also killed his wife and daughter, the sources added, noting that their funerals were held in Gaza City.
Speaking to reporters, al-Haddad’s sister also confirmed his death.
Meanwhile, Hamas also confirmed the death of al-Haddad on Saturday. The group’s spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a recorded statement that the movement mourns “one of the greatest fighters of the Palestinian people, the commander-in-chief of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Izz al-Din al-Haddad (Abu Suhaib), after a long journey of struggle and confrontation against the occupation.”
Al-Haddad “joins the martyred leaders and symbols of the contemporary Palestinian revolution,” he added, stressing that “the movement’s path will continue despite this great loss, driven by hope for victory”.
Earlier, the Israeli army claimed it killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad in a strike on Gaza City.
According to Dropsite News, al-Haddad was known as the “Ghost of al-Qassam” for his operational secrecy. The news portal reported that al-Haddad joined Hamas at its founding in 1987 and rose to become its most senior military commander in Gaza, assuming the role after Israel killed his predecessor Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025.
Israel had placed a $750 000 bounty on him in November 2023, and according to biographical accounts he survived at least six previous assassination attempts. The strike came despite the October ceasefire and was approved by Israel’s political echelon approximately ten days prior, Israel’s Ynet reported, with al-Haddad under continuous surveillance before the attack on his family home was carried out upon receiving sufficient certainty of his location, Dropsite News reported.
Since the October ceasefire was agreed to, Israel has killed around 900 people in Gaza according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Funeral services were held on Saturday outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The so-called US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza has been marked by at least 2 400 documented Israeli violations that expose the truce as a nominal agreement on paper only.
Signed on 10 October 2025, the truce has failed to transition into its secondary stages, which mandated a full Israeli withdrawal and international stabilisation. Instead, data compiled by the Palestinian Health Ministry and regional tracking groups show that Israel has conducted near-daily air strikes, artillery bombardments, and ground shootings, reports The Cradle. While no attempt has been made to end the Israeli violations, the Board of Peace seems to be laser-focused on disarming Hamas, despite it not reacting to the ongoing genocide.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened boasted that Israel now controls around 60% of the Gaza Strip, exceeding the territory outlined under the ceasefire agreement reached last year, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported Friday.
“Today we control 60% of the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu reportedly said during an event marking the anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem.
The newspaper said the figure exceeds the area envisioned under the US-mediated ceasefire agreement that entered into force in October 2025, under which Israeli-controlled territory was estimated at around 53% of the enclave. AA and ONM reporters
