A senior Hamas military commander described by Israel as “one of the architects” of the October 7 massacre was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Saturday.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) identified the target as Ra'ad Sa'ad, a senior member of Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades.
According to the IDF, Sa'ad was involved in efforts to “restore and manufacture the group's weapons” and headed Hamas' weapons production headquarters. Israeli officials said he was considered the deputy to Hamas' current military chief, Izz al-Din Haddad.
The IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) confirmed the strike in a joint statement, “The IDF and ISA eliminated the head of the weapons production headquarters of Hamas' military wing and one of the architects of the brutal October 7th massacre.”
The military said the strike took place on December 13. Video released by Israel showed a vehicle exploding, which officials said was carrying Sa'ad. An Israeli official told the media that Sa'ad was killed along with three others while travelling on the Rashid coastal road. He was believed to be among the last senior Hamas military commanders still operating inside Gaza.
In its statement, the IDF said Hamas had carried out “repeated attempts, including the use of explosive devices, in recent weeks to attack Israeli forces. These actions violated the cease-fire agreement, they said. The military added that it had also identified efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities.
“The terrorist Ra'ad Sa'ad, who was eliminated in this strike, led Hamas' force build-up, and his elimination significantly degrades Hamas' ability to reestablish its capabilities,” the IDF said.
Israeli officials described Sa'ad as one of the most senior and experienced Hamas commanders remaining in Gaza. He previously held multiple leadership roles, including establishing and commanding the Gaza City Brigade and helping to set up Hamas' naval force. He later served as head of Hamas' operations headquarters, where he helped establish the Nukhba Battalions and took part in developing the “Jericho Wall” plan, which Israeli authorities say formed the basis for the October 7 attacks.
Afterward, Sa'ad was appointed head of Hamas' weapons production headquarters, overseeing the manufacture of weapons before October 7 and later efforts to restore weapons production during the war. Israel says explosive devices produced under his leadership were responsible for the deaths of many Israeli soldiers during fighting in Gaza.
The IDF said Sa'ad was directly involved in violating the cease-fire agreement and continued weapons production even after the truce came into effect. “Hamas' weapon production apparatus is responsible for manufacturing weapons for the organisation's military wing,” the statement said, adding that Israeli forces would continue operations against Hamas.
Israel did not notify the Trump administration in advance of the strike, as per The Times of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the strike following an earlier incident in which an improvised explosive device detonated in Gaza, injuring two Israeli soldiers.
In a joint statement to The NY Post, the two officials said Sa'ad “was one of the architects of the October 7 massacre and in recent days had been engaged in restoring the terror organization and in planning and carrying out attacks against Israel, as well as rebuilding an attack force, in blatant violation of the cease-fire rules and Hamas's commitments to respect President [Donald] Trump's plan.”
The strike follows a US-brokered cease-fire agreement reached in October. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the cease-fire began two months ago, while the Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed during the same period. On October 7, 2023, Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages. Since then, Israel's continued bombing in the narrow strip has killed more than 70,600 Palestinians and injured over 1.7 lakh others, as per the Gaza Health Ministry.
