Israel says it targeted Hamas military chief in Gaza attack

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that forces had targeted Hamas military leader in the Gaza Strip, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad.

Al-Haddad was “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre” in 2023, Katz said in a statement. “This is a clear message to all the murderers who seek to kill us: sooner or later, Israel will get you.”

Israeli media, citing a senior security official, reported that the assassination attempt in Gaza City appeared to have been a success.

According to the official, authorization to kill al-Haddad had been granted about a week and a half earlier and he had been under constant surveillance since then.

In a statement, the Israeli military said Al-Haddad had been the target of an attack, adding that further details would be released once his death was confirmed.

Hamas has not yet commented.

Witnesses reported that seven Palestinians were killed and around 50 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Gaza City. According to unconfirmed reports, al-Haddad was among the dead.