Click to see full-size image. (X)
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) targeted Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Izz al-Din Haddad, in an airstrike in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on May 15.
The airstrike, which constitutes a violation by Israel of the ceasefire brokered by the United States, hit a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, according to Palestinian media.
Medics in the strip said that at least three people were killed and 20 injured in air strikes targeting an apartment and a vehicle.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that three IAF fighter jets participated in the airstrike. It added that the jets dropped 13 bombs.
In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Katz said they ordered the killing of Haddad, whom Israel claims to be “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,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
“The IDF and Shin Bet are fully implementing the government’s policy of not containing threats and preemptively neutralizing our enemies,” the statement continues.
“This is a clear message to all murderers who seek our lives: sooner or later, Israel will reach you,” they add.
A senior Israeli security official revealed later that the strike targeting Haddad was approved by the political echelon about a week and a half ago.
During that time, Haddad was under “continuous” surveillance, and the strike was carried out this evening “due to an operational opportunity with a high probability of successful elimination,” the official told Hebrew media.
The official asserted that Haddad has been one of the main obstacles in the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war, which includes the disarmament of Hamas.
“This arch terrorist has defiantly undermined President Trump’s and the Board of Peace efforts to disarm Hamas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip in order to create security and prosperity for Israelis and Gazans,” the official said, according to The Times of Israel.
“The Hamas leadership’s ongoing non-compliance will continue to have consequences,” the official warned.
According to the IDF, Haddad was targeted by the Israeli Air Force shortly after intelligence officers at the Southern Command and Military Intelligence Directorate received information on his whereabouts.
Haddad moved between numerous hiding places, surrounding himself with many hostages, including the female surveillance soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz base, to avoid being targeted in Israeli strikes, an Israeli military source claimed.
Haddad is the most senior Hamas military commander in Gaza and the last remaining senior official in the group. It is not yet clear if he was killed, but a senior security official said the strike was likely successful. Hamas, from its side, has not yet commented.
The assassination attempt was a major violation of the ceasefire in Gaza. It came at a time when Trump’s peace plan for the Strip is not moving forward.
Recent Hebrew media claimed that Hamas has been taking advantage of the ceasefire to rebuild its military capabilities. These reports coupled with the latest airstrike on Gaza suggest that the IDF could soon resume operations in the Strip, even if on a limited scale.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com