Israel said on Friday that it carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Ezzedine Al-Haddad, the commander of Hamas’s armed wing.

The Israeli defense minister’s office described him as “one of the principal architects of the October 7 massacre.” Israel did not confirm whether he had been killed.

Who is Ezzedine Al-Haddad and why did Israel target him?

Al-Haddad was the commander of Hamas’s military wing and, according to Israeli officials, the last remaining senior Hamas leader in Gaza who helped plan the October 7 attack.

Israel accuses him of orchestrating attacks against Israeli forces, holding hostages, and refusing to implement a US-backed disarmament agreement.

What happened in the Gaza strike on Friday?

The Israeli Air Force launched the strike after intelligence services confirmed Al-Haddad’s location. A military official said battle damage assessment was still pending, meaning confirmation of his fate had not yet been issued. Israeli television aired footage of a building on fire at the strike site in the Al-Ramal area of Gaza City.

Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas, said Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building in Al-Ramal. One person was killed and around 20 others were wounded, though the agency did not identify the victim. Reuters reported seven people killed across Gaza in Friday’s strikes.

What is Israel’s record of targeting Hamas leaders?

Since the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel has carried out an extensive campaign to eliminate Hamas’s senior leadership across Gaza and the wider region.

It killed Yahya Sinwar, widely regarded as the chief architect of the October 7 attack, as well as Mohammed Deif, the longtime commander of Hamas’s armed wing. Israeli strikes have also targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon and senior Hezbollah commanders, including former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

The October 7 attack, led by militants from Hamas’s armed wing, killed 1,221 people according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also abducted 251 hostages to Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has since killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, figures the United Nations considers reliable.

How does this strike relate to the Gaza ceasefire?

Despite an October ceasefire, Gaza has seen daily violence, with Israel and Hamas each accusing the other of violating the truce. At least 856 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Over the same period, the Israeli military said five soldiers were killed in Gaza.

Israel justified Friday’s strike in part by accusing Al-Haddad of ceasefire violations. A military official said he had “blatantly violated the existing ceasefire by working to restore the capabilities of the terrorist organization’s military wing, planning numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and refusing to disarm.” Israel also alleged he moved between hiding locations throughout the war and was heavily involved in Hamas’s hostage captivity system inside Gaza.