News|Israel-Palestine conflictIsrael claims to have killed senior Hamas commander, Raed Saad, in GazaThere was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or from medics that Saad was among the dead.
The Israeli military has reported the death of senior Hamas commander Raed Saad following an airstrike in Gaza City. This operation resulted in the deaths of five individuals and injured at least 25, as per Gaza health authorities.
The Israeli military has reported the death of senior Hamas commander Raed Saad following an airstrike in Gaza City. This operation resulted in the deaths of five individuals and injured at least 25, as per Gaza health authorities.
Hamas has not confirmed the death of Raed Saad, stating that a civilian vehicle was targeted outside Gaza City, which they claim violates the ceasefire agreement initiated in October.
According to a statement on Telegram by the Israeli army, Saad was allegedly involved in efforts to restore Hamas’s operational capabilities, which have been significantly reduced over the past two years. The army identified him as a key planner of the attacks on Israel that occurred on October 7, 2023.
Should Saad's death be confirmed, it would represent the most prominent assassination of a senior Hamas leader since the ceasefire was established in October. An Israeli defense official informed Reuters that Saad was the target of the strike and described him as the leader of Hamas’s weapons manufacturing division.
The Israeli military has reported the death of senior Hamas commander Raed Saad following an airstrike in Gaza City.
Sources within Hamas described Saad as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, subordinate to Izz al-Din al-Haddad. They noted that he formerly led Hamas’s Gaza City battalion, recognized as one of the group's most substantial and well-equipped forces.
Reports from the Wafa news agency indicated that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle at the Nabulsi junction in western Gaza City, resulting in casualties. The agency did not provide specific casualty figures, and it remains unclear whether this attack resulted in Saad's death.
Since the October ceasefire, Israeli forces have conducted nearly 800 strikes on Gaza, resulting in at least 386 fatalities, according to Gaza authorities, marking a serious breach of the ceasefire agreement. Additionally, Israel continues to restrict the entry of aid into the enclave. The United Nations General Assembly recently passed a resolution demanding Israel ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, cease attacks on UN facilities, and adhere to international law as an occupying power.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
