The head of Hamas’s armed wing, Ezzedine Al-Haddad, killed by Israeli strikes

The Israeli army and the Shin Bet, domestic intelligence, announced on Saturday May 16 the death of the head of the armed wing of Hamas, Ezzedine Al-Haddad, killed during strikes on the Gaza Strip the day before. The information was immediately confirmed by the Palestinian Islamist movement. THE Washington Post describes Al-Haddad as a personality “relatively little known before the start of the war in Gazaâ€. The press release from the Israel Defense Forces announcing his elimination nevertheless presents him as “the last Hamas leader involved in planning the October 7 terrorist attacks still alive in Gazaâ€.

According to witnesses interviewed by the BBC, The strikes successively targeted the Al-Mu’taz residential building, located in the Al-Ramal neighborhood in Gaza City, then a civilian vehicle about a kilometer away. In total, at least seven people died and 45 others were injured, several of whom were in serious condition.

The testimonies collected by the correspondent ofAl-Jazeera in the Palestinian enclave, Ibrahim Al Khalili, suggest that at least four missiles were fired. The journalist adds that this area west of Gaza City is today “overpopulation†– the population finding refuge there “to escape countless Israeli military operations [dans l'est de la ville]â€.

“Even though peace plan [du président américain Donald] Trumpfighting continues in the enclave…notes the site of the Qatari channel. “Since the entry into force of the ‘ceasefire’ [le 10 octobre 2025]nearly 850 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks, according to the Gaza health ministry. […] Many residents thought the ceasefire would lead to some form of appeasement, but it brings nothing but tragedy.â€

Target of several assassination attempts

According to images relayed by AFP, the funeral of Ezzedine Al-Haddad took place Saturday morning in Gaza. We see his coffin, wrapped in a Hamas flag, surrounded by a crowd.

Israeli daily life Ha’Aretz provides some details on his journey. Born in 1970 and “Originally from the al-Touffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, he joined Hamas at the age of 17. He worked very early for the internal police [de l'organisation]known as ‘Majd’, responsible for apprehending Palestinians who collaborated with Israel. He continued to climb the ranks and was propelled to the head of one of the five Hamas brigades in Gaza. He was also a member of the Military Council, and considered one of the main commanders overseeing the group’s military activities in the Gaza Strip.â€

The title continues by asserting that he would have survived several assassination attempts, notably in 2009, 2012 and 2021. Several others would have targeted him since the outbreak of the war, causing the death of two of his sons. He is said to have personally supervised the detention of Israeli hostages during the conflict – several of whom claimed to have seen him in person.

Before him, Israel claimed responsibility for the deaths of several senior Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinouar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, commander in chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades as well as Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau. While he found himself beheaded again, sources affiliated with the Palestinian movement, cited by Ha’Aretzexplain that his successor will be chosen from among the active commanders on the ground.