Israeli officials say the Israeli Air Force carried out a targeted strike in Gaza City aimed at eliminating Hamas military commander Izz al-Din Haddad, one of the top remaining Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and a key architect of the October 7 massacre.

According to Palestinian media reports, the strike hit a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said they personally ordered the operation against Haddad, describing him as “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.”

“Haddad was responsible for the murder, kidnapping and harm of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. He held our hostages in brutal captivity, directed terrorist operations against our forces, and refused to implement the agreement led by US President Trump to dismantle Hamas’s weapons and demilitarize the Gaza Strip,” the statement said.

“The IDF and Shin Bet are fully implementing the government’s policy of not containing threats and preemptively neutralizing our enemies,” the statement continued.

“This is a clear message to all murderers who seek our lives: sooner or later, Israel will reach you.”

A senior Israeli security official later told reporters there are “initial indications” that Haddad was killed in the strike, though the military has not yet officially confirmed his death.

According to an unsourced report from Channel 12, Netanyahu and Katz reportedly gave the final order to eliminate Haddad in recent days after concluding he had become a major obstacle to efforts aimed at forcing Hamas to disarm.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)