Hamas commander who helped plan Oct. 7 attacks has been killed, Israel says

A long-serving Hamas commander who replaced Mohammed Sinwar and helped plan the October 7 attacks in Israel was killed on Friday, Israeli officials said Saturday. 

Izz al-Din al-Haddad was head of Hamas’ military wing, the Israel Defense Forces said in a news release. The IDF said that he “was involved in the holding of many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity” amid the war in Gaza and “surrounded himself with hostages to prevent his elimination.” 

Haddad was killed in a “precise strike in the area on the City of Gaza,” the IDF said. 

His family confirmed his death to the Associated Press, the wire service reported. 

The Associated Press reported two Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Friday. One targeted a building and another a vehicle, the AP reported. Health officials in the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Saraya Field Hospital and Shifa hospital told the Associated Press that seven people were killed and dozens more were wounded in the strikes. 

This is a developing news story and will be updated.