The head of the Hamas armed wing, a key figure in the October 7 attack, according to Israel, was killed in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement announced on Saturday after being targeted in an airstrike.
“He was assassinated in an Israeli strike on a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle yesterday [Friday] in Gaza,” a Hamas official said.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has claimed responsibility for the killing of several senior Hamas officials, including Yahya Sinouar, its Gaza leader, who was killed on October 16, 2024 and considered the mastermind behind the attacks.
Ezzedine al-Haddad had long been a target of the army: he was described as “the last senior leader of Hamas still present in the Gaza Strip to have participated in the organization of the massacre,” according to an Israeli military official.
The Defense Ministry had announced on Friday that it had targeted him, without immediately confirming his death, presenting him as a “leading terrorist” and “one of the main architects” of the October 7 attack.
Their funerals took place Saturday morning in the city of Gaza. Images from Agence France-Presse showed a mourning crowd surrounding al-Haddad’s coffin, draped in a Hamas flag.
The Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Eyal Zamir, praised it as a “major operational success.” “In all the conversations I had with the released hostages, his name kept coming up,” he said in a separate statement.
He added, “Today, we have succeeded in eliminating him. The Israeli army will continue to track down our enemies, strike them, and hold accountable all those who took part in the October 7 attack.”
The Defense Ministry accused Ezzedine al-Haddad of being “responsible for the murder, kidnapping, and suffering inflicted on thousands of Israeli civilians and soldiers.”
A truce went into effect on October 10, 2025, in the Palestinian territory, part of which is controlled by Hamas and the other by the Israeli army.
Born in 1970, Ezzedine al-Haddad took command of the Hamas armed wing in May 2025, following the death of his predecessor in an Israeli strike, according to a source within the Islamist movement.
He had previously survived six assassination attempts by Israel.
Originator of the creation of Hamas security services, he was responsible for supervising exchanges between hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners.
In addition to Yahya Sinouar, the Israeli army had also killed Mohammed Deif, chief commander of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and other key figures in attacks.
Israeli strikes also targeted Hamas leaders abroad and high-ranking commanders of the Lebanese Hezbollah allied with the group, including former chief Hassan Nasrallah.
