Israel Says Head of Hamas’s Military Wing Killed in Strike

Israel carried out a series of strikes in Gaza City on May 15, targeting what it calls one of the “architects” of Hamas’s terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Netanyahu and Katz said Israel was targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the head of Hamas’s military wing and its most senior leader after the Israeli military killed commander ​Mohammed Sinwar in May 2025.

They said Haddad was “responsible for the murder, abduction, and harm inflicted ​on thousands of Israeli civilians [and] soldiers.”

The Israel Defesnse Forces (IDF) confirmed that Haddad, one of the last senior commanders involved in the planning of the Oct. 7 massacre, was killed in the strikes.

“Throughout the war, Haddad was involved in the holding of many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity and managed Hamas’ hostage captivity system by surrounding himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent his elimination,” the IDF said on X.

The IDF was given approval for the strike roughly a week and a half ago, a senior security official told Epoch Magazine in Israel.

During this time, intelligence tracking of Haddad was constant, the official said, and the IDF carried out the strikes on May 15 after believing they had an operational window with a high likelihood of success.

Israel and Hamas are still at a stalemate in negotiations to advance U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans for Gaza after nearly three years since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. A fragile ceasefire has remained in effect since October 2025, though both sides have accused one another of violating the ceasefire’s terms.

Gaza medics said the first Israeli airstrike on May 15 hit an apartment in the Rimal area of Gaza City.

That blast killed at least four and led to several injuries, while a second blast struck a vehicle on a street close by, killing three, according to the medics.

The targeted building had hundreds of people living in it, according to Gaza authorities.

While the ceasefire has paused major hostilities between Israel and Hamas, both sides have failed to strike a permanent agreement that would lead to a withdrawal of Israel’s military, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of the destroyed portions of the Gaza Strip.

Reuters contributed to this report.