Gaza City
\nHamas\u2019s armed wing chief Ezzedine Al-Haddad was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza the previous day, the Israeli military and Hamas confirmed on Saturday.
\nThe Israeli military and intelligence services have waged an extensive campaign targeting the group\u2019s senior political leaders and commanders in Gaza and across the region.
\nOn Friday, the Israeli military said it had carried out an airstrike in Gaza targeting Haddad and confirmed his death on Saturday.
\n\u201cThe IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, Ezzedine Al-Haddad was eliminated,\u201d the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet domestic security agency.
\nTwo Hamas officials also told AFP that Haddad had been killed in an Israeli strike.
\n\u201cSenior commander\u2026 Ezzedine Al-Haddad was assassinated in an Israeli strike targeting a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle in Gaza yesterday,\u201d one senior Hamas official said.
\nA member of Hamas\u2019s armed wing separately confirmed his death.
\nHaddad was killed along with his wife and a daughter, according to another Hamas source.
\nAFP photographs showed mourners carrying the body of Haddad, wrapped in a Hamas flag, on a stretcher from the ruins of a building.
\nThe military claims Haddad was \u201cone of the last senior commanders in Hamas\u2019s military wing who directed the planning and execution of the October 7th massacre\u201d.
\n\u201cHaddad managed Hamas\u2019s hostage captivity system and surrounded himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent his elimination,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Significant achievement\u2019
\nIsrael\u2019s military chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir called the killing a \u201csignificant operational achievement\u201d.
\nOver the course of the war, Israel has claimed responsibility for the assassinations of several Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar.
\nIt also killed Mohammed Deif, the longtime commander of Hamas\u2019s armed wing.
\nIsraeli strikes have also targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon, as well as senior Hezbollah commanders allied with the group, including former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
\nIsrael\u2019s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 72,700 civilians, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority.
\nThe figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
\nDespite an October ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence as Israeli strikes continue.
\nAt least 856 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry.
\nOver the same period, the Israeli military said five soldiers have been killed in Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gaza City Hamas\u2019s armed wing chief Ezzedine Al-Haddad was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza the previous day, the Israeli military and Hamas confirmed on Saturday. The Israeli military and intelligence services have waged an extensive campaign targeting the group\u2019s senior political leaders and commanders in Gaza and across the region. On Friday, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-546938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n