Israel Defense Forces killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing, who was one of the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks that sparked the war in Gaza.

Izz al-Din al-Haddad was eliminated in Gaza City in an airstrike Friday night, Israel Defense Forces said Saturday. His wife and daughter were also killed in the strike.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir hailed the assassination as further retribution for the terror attack that saw 1,195 Israelis slaughtered, according to that report.

“Today, we succeeded in eliminating him,” Zamir said. “The IDF will continue to pursue our enemies, strike, and settle accounts with everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre.”

Nicknamed “The Ghost,” Haddad had survived multiple previous assassination attempts by Israel.

He was one of the last senior commanders in Hamas’ military assuming the role of leader of the military wing, after the killing of Mohammed Sinwar, another Oct. 7th mastermind, who was eliminated in an air strike on May 13, 2025.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Haddad led Hamas’ plan to infiltrate IDF outposts and used Israeli hostages as human shields to prevent his own death, according to the IDF.

“Throughout the war, Haddad was involved in holding many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. Haddad managed Hamas’ hostage captivity system and surrounded himself with hostages in an attempt to prevent his elimination,” the IDF said in a statement.

Since taking control of Hamas, Haddad “acted to rebuild the capabilities of the terrorist organization’s military wing and to plan numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” according to the IDF. 

Israel further claimed Haddad “refused to implement the agreement” brokered by President Trump in January “to disarm Hamas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.”

Haddad previously served as chief of Hamas’ Gaza City Brigade, The Times of Israel reported.

Photos from Saturday showed mourners carrying Haddad’s body on a stretcher wrapped with a Hamas flag.

Mosques in Gaza announced his “martyrdom” and Palestinian media pushed a “martyr poster” of Haddad on Saturday.

His killing came as the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas remains in effect, though the deal has stalled over key issues like the disarmament of Hamas.

With Post wires