Israeli strike kills Hamas commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad

Israeli forces killed a senior Hamas commander in a strike in Gaza City on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday.

Izz al-Din al-Haddad led Hamas' military wing and took part in planning the October 7 attacks, the IDF said. He also helped hold Israeli hostages during the war in Gaza and kept some of them near him to avoid being targeted, the military added.

Haddad joined Hamas when the group was first formed and stayed in close contact with its leaders until his death. In recent months he worked to rebuild the group's military capabilities, the IDF said.

IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the killing closed a circle for many families. "In all the conversations I had with the abductees who returned, the name of the master murderer, Iz al-Din Haddad, came up time and time again," Zamir said.

The IDF described the strike as precise. The Associated Press reported two Israeli strikes in Gaza City on Friday, one on a building and one on a vehicle. Health officials at the Palestine Red Crescent Society's Saraya Field Hospital and Shifa hospital told the AP that seven people were killed and dozens wounded.

Haddad's family confirmed his death to the Associated Press.