Gaza – The Israeli Air Force on Friday targeted Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Izz al-Din Haddad, in an airstrike in Gaza City. The strike hit a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, according to Palestinian media. Medics in Gaza said at least three people were killed and 20 injured in air strikes targeting an apartment and a vehicle. Israel earlier announced it had targeted Hamas’s military chief in Gaza, Izz al-Din Haddad. It is not immediately clear if Haddad was one of the dead, but an Israeli official told reporters earlier that Jerusalem believes the strike was successful. It was not immediately clear if Haddad was killed in what would appear to be a ceasefire violation by Israel. Israel has justified such strikes before by claiming that those targeted posed active threats to troops. In a joint statement, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Katz said they ordered the killing of Haddad, who commands the terror group’s military wing and is “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.” “The IDF and Shin Bet are fully implementing the government’s policy of not containing threats and preemptively neutralizing our enemies,” the statement continues.
“This is a clear message to all murderers who seek our lives: sooner or later, Israel will reach you,” they add.
A senior Israeli security official told reporters that there are “initial indications” that Hamas leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed in the airstrike in Gaza City a short while ago.
In an unsourced report, Channel 12 says said Netanyahu and Katz gave the order to kill Haddad in recent days once it became clear that he posed an obstacle to efforts to coax Hamas to disarm.
