The Israeli military announced it killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saed in a strike on a car in Gaza City on Saturday, identifying him as one of the architects of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
This marks the highest-profile assassination of a Hamas leader since a Gaza ceasefire came into effect in October.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz stated Saed was targeted in response to a Hamas attack earlier on Saturday that injured two Israeli soldiers with an explosive device.
Gaza health authorities reported the strike on the car killed five people and wounded at least 25 others. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medical sources that Saed was among the fatalities.
HAMAS SAYS ATTACK VIOLATES CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
An Israeli military official described Saed as a high-ranking Hamas member who helped establish and advance the group's weapons production network.
"In recent months, he operated to reestablish Hamas' capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire," the official stated.
Hamas sources have described him as the second-in-command of the group's armed wing, after Izz eldeen Al-Hadad.
Those sources added that Saed previously headed Hamas' Gaza City battalion, one of its largest and best-equipped units.
Hamas issued a statement condemning the attack as a violation of the ceasefire agreement but did not confirm whether Saed was hurt and stopped short of threatening retaliation.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials.
The October 10 ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City's ruins. Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased.
However, violence has not ceased entirely. Palestinian health authorities state Israeli forces have killed at least 386 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce began. Israel reports three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire started and that it has attacked scores of fighters.
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Source: REUTERS