Hamas commander behind Oct 7 attacks in Israel eliminated in Gaza City: IDF
Tel Aviv, May 16
Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Head of Hamas' military wing and one of the last senior commanders involved in the planning of the October 7 attacks in Israel, was eliminated in a precise airstrike in Gaza City on Friday, Israel said.
"Following the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar, Haddad assumed his role and worked to rebuild Hamas' capabilities and planned numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a X post on Saturday.
Haddad was "involved in the holding of many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity" in Gaza and managed Hamas' hostage captivity system by "surrounding himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent his elimination" during the war, the IDF said.
Haddad is one of the longest-serving commanders in Hamas, having joined the "terrorist organisation" during its early establishment, and maintained close ties with Hamas leadership. He played a central role in Hamas and held several senior positions, such as the commander of the Gaza City Brigade and commander of additional units, as per a statement from the Israeli Security Agency (ISA).
The killing of Haddad, who became the terror group's military chief in the Gaza Strip after the killing of commander Muhammad Sinwar in May 2025, joins the eliminations of numerous other senior Hamas military wing commanders in the Israeli offensive since the October 7, 2023, brutal attacks in Israel, in which over 1000 people were killed.
At least seven Palestinians, including Haddad, were killed and dozens were injured in two Israeli air strikes on a residential building and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City on Friday.
In a joint statement, after the airstrikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they targeted "one of the architects" of the October 7 attacks.
— ANI
Reader Comments
India has been a friend to both Israel and Palestine historically. We condemn the Oct 7 attacks absolutely, but the cycle of killing must end. Every elimination on one side leads to more families mourning on the other. Let's hope for a ceasefire soon. 🙏
Strictly from a security standpoint, this is a major blow to Hamas. The IDF has been relentless in dismantling their command structure. But I wonder—how many more such 'eliminations' before the hostages are freed? That remains the priority. India should use its diplomatic influence to push for their release.
As an Indian, I can't help but compare this to our own counter-terror operations. We know the pain of cross-border terrorism very well. But the difference is we always try to minimise civilian casualties in Kashmir. Here, Israel's approach seems to be 'collateral damage is acceptable'. That's a dangerous path. 😐
What about the 'dozens injured' in the same strikes? The article says 7 killed including this commander. So 6 civilians died. That's tragic. We in India know how terrorism hurts but we also know how state violence can radicalise even more people. This isn't a long-term solution. 😔
Living in India and reading this, I see similarities with how the world reacts to our own security issues. The Oct 7 attacks were horrific, no doubt. But has anyone considered that killing leaders doesn't eliminate the ideology? Hamas will find new commanders. The cycle continues.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.