Israel Kills Top Hamas Commander Raad Saad in Gaza Airstrike, Citing Ceasefire Violations

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that a targeted airstrike in Gaza City killed senior Hamas commander Raad Saad, one of the terror group’s most influential remaining military leaders, in what Israeli officials described as a direct response to repeated ceasefire violations by Hamas.

Saad, who headed Hamas’s weapons manufacturing headquarters, was considered the number two figure in the group’s military wing, second only to current Hamas military chief Izz al-Din Haddad. He was also one of the key architects of the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and triggered the ongoing war. Sunday marks 800 days since that attack.

According to Palestinian media, the Israeli strike hit a vehicle traveling along the coastal Rashid Road on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line. Reports said four people were killed and more than 20 others were wounded.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that Saad was targeted after two Israeli reserve soldiers were injured by an improvised explosive device in southern Gaza earlier Saturday. The IDF said the explosive attack was part of a broader pattern of Hamas activity that violated the ceasefire agreement.

In a statement, the military said it had identified repeated attempts by Hamas in recent weeks to carry out attacks against Israeli forces, including the use of explosives, alongside efforts to restore and rebuild its military capabilities. Saad, the IDF said, led Hamas’s force buildup and weapons production, and his killing dealt a major blow to the terror group’s ability to rearm.

The military released footage of the strike and said Saad had long been a high-priority target. The operation was carried out after real-time intelligence from Israel’s Intelligence Directorate indicated Saad was making a rare appearance above ground in western Gaza City.

Israeli defense officials said Haddad, Hamas’s current military chief, also remains a target. A senior official told Israel’s Channel 13 News that Haddad is “in the crosshairs” and would be eliminated “even during the ceasefire” if the opportunity arises.

According to reports, Israel did not provide the United States with advance notice of the strike, though U.S. officials are regularly briefed on potential targets. Some Israeli sources said Washington was informed only after the operation.

The IDF said Saad played a central role in Hamas’s military leadership for decades. He was closely associated with Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, assassinated in 2004, as well as former military chief Mohammed Deif, killed in July 2024, and deputy military leader Marwan Issa, assassinated in March 2024.

Saad established and commanded Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, helped form the group’s naval commando unit, and later served as chief of its operations headquarters. In that role, he helped design the “Jericho’s Walls” plan to overrun Israel’s Gaza Division, which formed the basis for the October 7 massacre. He also helped establish Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force, which spearheaded the attack.

Although Saad was dismissed as operations chief in 2021 following internal disputes with then-Gaza Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, he remained close to the top leadership. After the deaths of senior commanders during the war, Saad became Haddad’s deputy and oversaw Hamas’s weapons manufacturing operations, including the rehabilitation of production capabilities during the conflict.

The IDF said Saad was responsible for the manufacture of explosive devices that killed numerous Israeli soldiers during the war. Netanyahu and Katz said Saad had been actively engaged in rebuilding Hamas’s attack capabilities and planning new assaults against Israel in recent days, in violation of ceasefire commitments tied to U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace framework.

“Instead of advancing disarmament, he was engaged in rearmament for acts of terror,” Netanyahu and Katz said, warning that anyone who harms Israeli soldiers “will be struck in Gaza and anywhere else.”

Hamas, without naming Saad, accused Israel of deliberately undermining the ceasefire and said Israel would bear responsibility for the consequences. The terror group called on mediators and guarantor countries to intervene, while stopping short of immediately announcing retaliation.

Earlier Saturday, the IDF said two Israeli reservists were lightly wounded by an explosive device while clearing terror infrastructure in southern Gaza. In separate incidents, the military said it killed Palestinian operatives who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in both the north and south of the Strip and approached Israeli forces in a threatening manner.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by rearming and refusing to relinquish control of the Strip, while Hamas has accused Israel of escalation.

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