image source, Reuters
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- Author, James Cook
- Author title, Jerusalem correspondent
- Author, Rushdi Abualouf
- Author title, Gaza correspondent, Istanbul
Israel claimed to have killed a senior Hamas commander in an attack on a vehicle in Gaza on Saturday.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and Shin Bet intelligence agency said they had “eliminated” Raed Saad, head of weapons production for Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, in Gaza City.
Saad was considered one of the most prominent Qassam commanders and led several brigades during the Hamas attacks on Israeli communities east of Gaza City on October 7.
Hamas-controlled Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the BBC that four people were killed in the attack.
He further stated that several passers-by were also injured by the explosion.
The joint statement added that Saad was responsible “for the deaths of many soldiers” killed by explosive devices in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has not yet confirmed Saad’s death, but condemned in a statement that the attack represented a “new criminal violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
According to the Reuters news agency, if confirmed, this would be the highest-profile assassination attempt on a senior Hamas leader since the cessation of hostilities came into effect.
Because Israel prevents the BBC from reporting independently from Gaza, it is not possible to verify the details of the incident.
Saad is believed to have been a member of the newly formed five-member military leadership council since the ceasefire in October.
Israel has tried to kill him several times.
One of the most notable attempts occurred during a surprise Israeli operation in Gaza City in March 2024, when Israeli forces reportedly attempted to capture or kill him. Sources said at the time that Saad was inside the target complex but managed to escape shortly before the attack.
He has long been considered one of the most wanted Hamas figures by Israel, which has been trying to kill him for more than two decades.
image source, Getty Images
Saturday’s attack occurred on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called Yellow Line, which has divided Gaza since the shaky U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10.
Israeli forces control the area east of the line, which covers just over half of the Gaza Strip.
The first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for regional peace called for the return of the 20 live hostages and 28 dead hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Around 1,200 people were killed in the attack and more than 250 were kidnapped.
All were returned except for the remains of an Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili, 24, who is believed to have died fighting Hamas gunmen at Kibbutz Alumim.
Since then, more than 70,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli military action, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
The diplomatic focus now shifts to the next phase of President Trump’s plan, which includes disarming Hamas as part of what he calls the de-radicalization and reconstruction of Gaza.
It stipulates that Gaza will be governed by a “temporary transitional government formed by a technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee,” overseen by a “peace committee” chaired by Trump.
Security would be guaranteed by an International Stabilization Force, although its composition remains unclear.
The ultimate goal is for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take control of the area and for Israeli forces to withdraw. After that, “the conditions for a credible path to self-determination and the creation of a Palestinian state would finally be met.”
Many aspects of the plan are controversial in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected calls for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Trump will meet with Netanyahu on December 29 to discuss the plan in the US.
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