Israel eliminates final senior Hamas leader in Gaza
Israeli forces eliminated senior Hamas terrorist Izz al-Din Haddad in an operation reportedly named “Sharp Courage.”
Haddad had recently been hiding underground, and final approval for the strike was granted by the political leadership several days ago.
Israeli forces also struck a vehicle that allegedly attempted to flee the scene. Haddad was considered the last remaining top Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip who had not yet been eliminated
Four close associates of Haddad were reportedly killed in a vehicle while trying to leave an apartment used as a hideout.
Three Israeli Air Force fighter jets participated in the airstrike on the Hamas leader. According to the military, the jets dropped 13 bombs. Vehicles departing from the location were struck, reportedly to prevent Haddad’s escape.
A senior Israeli security official said that the strike targeting Izz al-Din Haddad was approved by the political echelon about a week and a half ago. During that time, Haddad was under "continuous" surveillance, and the strike was carried out this evening "due to an operational opportunity with a high probability of successful elimination," the official said.
According to the Israeli military, Haddad was targeted by the Israeli Air Force shortly after intelligence officers at the Southern Command and Military Intelligence Directorate received information on his whereabouts.
During the war, Haddad moved between numerous hiding places, surrounding himself with many hostages, including the female surveillance soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz base, to avoid being targeted in Israeli strikes, a military source says.
Haddad was the most senior Hamas military commander in Gaza and the last remaining senior official in the terror group who led the October 7 massacre. After the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly personally updated the family of former Gaza hostage Liri Albag on the assassination. Liri was held by Haddad in Hamas captivity. Albag responded on Instagram to the assassination attempt on Hamas military wing leader, writing:
'Every dog has his day – and you're one hell of a dog.'
No comments:
Post a Comment