Israel Says Senior Hamas Commander Killed in Gaza Vehicle Strike
Israel has announced that one of Hamas’s top military figures was killed in an airstrike carried out inside Gaza on Saturday.
According to a joint statement released by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security agency, Raed Saad — described as the head of weapons manufacturing for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades — was targeted while travelling in a vehicle in Gaza City.
Israeli authorities said Saad was a key figure within Hamas’s military leadership and had overseen weapons production used against Israeli forces. They also alleged he played a central role in directing attacks during Hamas’s 7 October assault on Israeli communities near Gaza City.
Civilian Casualties Reported
Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence department said the strike killed four people and injured several others who were nearby at the time of the explosion. Independent verification of the incident remains difficult, as international media organisations are restricted from operating freely inside Gaza.
Israel claimed Saad was responsible for numerous Israeli soldier deaths during ground operations in the Gaza Strip, particularly through the use of improvised explosive devices.
Longtime Target of Israeli Forces
Saad was reportedly a member of a recently formed five-person military leadership council created after a ceasefire took effect in October. Israeli officials have attempted to kill or capture him multiple times over the past two decades.
One major attempt reportedly occurred in March 2024 during a covert Israeli operation in Gaza City. At the time, Israeli forces were believed to have targeted a compound where Saad was present, but he reportedly escaped shortly before the raid.
Strike Near Ceasefire Line
Saturday’s strike occurred on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called “Yellow Line,” a demarcation that has divided Gaza since a fragile US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 10 October. Israeli forces currently control territory east of this line, which accounts for more than half of the Gaza Strip.
Wider Context of the Conflict
The renewed focus on Gaza comes as attention turns to the next phase of a US-led peace initiative proposed by President Donald Trump. The first stage of the plan required the return of all hostages taken during the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and over 250 abducted.
Most hostages have now been returned, although Israeli authorities say the remains of one police officer, Ran Gvili, are still unaccounted for.
Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, claims that more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its military campaign in response to the October attacks.
Controversial Peace Proposal
The next stage of the US proposal calls for Hamas to be disarmed and for Gaza to be governed by a temporary, non-political Palestinian committee under international oversight. Security would be provided by an international stabilisation force, with the long-term goal of transferring control to a reformed Palestinian Authority and eventually withdrawing Israeli troops.
The plan also outlines a potential path toward Palestinian statehood — an idea repeatedly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Trump is scheduled to meet Netanyahu in the United States on 29 December to discuss the proposal and the future of Gaza.