Overview
- The IDF and Shin Bet, which confirmed the death on Saturday, said an Israeli strike Friday in Gaza City killed al-Haddad.
- Hamas officials told AFP the strike hit a home and a car in the Rimal district, and hospitals later reported seven dead and several injured.
- Relatives said his wife and one daughter died in the attack, adding to the civilian toll reported in Gaza City.
- Israel describes al-Haddad as a chief planner of the Oct. 7, 2023 assault, and he rose to lead Hamas’s Gaza forces after Mohammed Sinwar was killed in May 2025.
- Media reports say approval to kill him came about a week and a half earlier and he was kept under constant surveillance to wait for a high-probability opportunity.