Israel eliminates another Hamas commander — organiser of 2023 attack

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) have eliminated senior Hamas commander Raad Saad in a targeted strike on his vehicle in the Gaza Strip, Caliber.Az reports, citing the IDF.

According to The Times of Israel, Saad was targeted while driving along the Rashid coastal road. He was killed alongside three others. The strike marks an apparent Israeli violation of the ceasefire. 

Saad was the head of Hamas’s weapons production headquarters and one of the organisers of the October 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel. In recent weeks, he had been overseeing the organisation’s force buildup in the enclave.

According to the Israeli army’s spokesperson, Saad held several key leadership positions, including forming and leading Hamas’s naval forces in Gaza. He was later appointed chief of operations and established the Nuhba special unit, which participated in the October 7 attack.

By Khagan Isayev