Israel carried out airstrikes on May 15, 2026, targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the head of Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, in Gaza City. The strikes killed al-Haddad along with his wife, daughter, and at least four other Palestinians—three women and a child—bringing the death toll to seven. Dozens more were wounded in the attacks [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The airstrikes hit a residential apartment in the Remal neighborhood of Gaza City and also targeted a vehicle fleeing the scene, according to Israeli military sources [1, 7, 5, 8, 6]. Israel’s military described the strike as precise, stating "Yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Ezzedine Al-Haddad was eliminated" [4].
Al-Haddad succeeded Mohammed Sinwar as Hamas military chief in May 2025 after Sinwar's killing. He was considered one of the architects of the deadly October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks by Hamas that killed over 1,200 Israelis and involved hostage-taking [1, 7, 9, 6].
Israeli officials said al-Haddad managed Hamas’ hostage captivity system and surrounded himself with hostages in an apparent attempt to avoid being targeted. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 17 that Israel is nearing completion of a campaign to eliminate all those responsible for the 2023 attacks. "I promised that every single architect of the massacre and the hostage-taking would be eliminated down to the last one, and we are very close to completing this mission," he said [9, 4, 10, 6].
Hamas confirmed al-Haddad’s death on May 16, condemning the killing as a breach of the Gaza ceasefire and calling it Israeli aggression. The group held a joint funeral for al-Haddad and his family members [2, 3, 5]. Hamas accused Israel of targeting civilians, while Israel said the strikes focused on militants [5].
Analysts noted that Hamas’s Qassam Brigades operate with a decentralized command structure. Saeed Ziad, a Palestinian political analyst, said the group is arranged in parallel rather than hierarchical lines, suggesting al-Haddad’s killing may have limited long-term operational impact, as the Qassam Brigades could reorganize within days [8].
Since the October 2023 war began, Israel has intensified efforts to target senior Hamas leaders, amid ongoing conflict. Palestinian casualties in Gaza have reached around 850 since a ceasefire took effect, while Israeli deaths from militants total four during the same period [3].
The next major development is expected as Israeli military operations continue against Hamas leadership figures responsible for the October 2023 attacks.
