Israel Claims Killing of Senior Hamas Figure Despite Cease-Fire

The Israeli military announced Saturday that it had killed a high-ranking Hamas commander in Gaza. The operation, a targeted strike against a vehicle, marks the most significant assassination of a senior Hamas figure since the two-month-old cease-fire began.

The individual targeted was Raed Saad, a senior commander within Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, according to Israeli authorities. The Israeli military stated that Saad was instrumental in planning the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which initiated the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Hamas has not yet confirmed Saad's death or commented directly on the Israeli claim. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. the organization released a statement calling the attack a "criminal breach of the cease-fire agreement." In the past, Hamas has often taken weeks or months to publicly acknowledge the deaths of high-ranking members.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he and the country's defense minister personally authorized the assassination of Raed Saad.

According to two Arab intelligence officials, Saad, a long-time Hamas member, had steadily climbed the ranks to become second-in-command of the armed wing. The officials, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said that Saad spent much of the war in Hamas tunnels beneath Gaza City.

The Saturday attack, which struck a car on Gaza's coastal road, resulted in four fatalities. The bodies were transported to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.