The Israeli military announced that it killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saad in an air attack near Gaza City. The Saturday strike reportedly killed five people and injured at least 25 others, according to Gaza health officials.
Hamas released a statement but did not confirm Saad’s death. The group said a civilian vehicle had been hit outside Gaza City and called the strike a violation of the ceasefire that has been in place since October.
In a message on Telegram, the Israeli army claimed Saad was working to rebuild Hamas’s military capabilities, which have been heavily damaged after more than two years of war. Israel also described Saad as one of the planners of the October 7, 2023 attacks.
If confirmed, Saad’s killing would mark the most high-profile assassination of a Hamas commander since the fragile October ceasefire began.
Who Was Raed Saad?
An Israeli defence official told Reuters that Saad had been specifically targeted and identified him as the head of Hamas’s weapons manufacturing division. Hamas sources also described him as the group’s second-in-command in its armed wing, ranking just below Izz al-Din al-Haddad.
Saad previously led Hamas’s Gaza City battalion—one of its largest and best-equipped units—which played a key role in past military operations.
The Wafa news agency reported that an Israeli drone struck a vehicle at the Nabulsi junction in western Gaza City, causing multiple casualties. It remains unclear whether this was the same attack Israel says killed Saad.
Ongoing Strikes Despite Ceasefire
Despite the ceasefire agreement announced in October, Israel has continued to carry out daily attacks in Gaza—nearly 800 strikes in total—killing at least 386 people, according to local authorities.
Israel has also restricted the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza. On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Israel to allow full humanitarian access, stop attacks on UN facilities, and comply with international law as an occupying power.