Israel kills senior Hamas leader in Gaza strike
A senior Hamas commander who helped mastermind the October 7 attacks on Israel has been killed in a drone strike in Gaza.
The Israeli military has claimed responsibility for the death of Raed Saed, who was second-in-command of Hamas’s armed wing in the city.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Israel Katz said they ordered his assassination.
They said Saed was targeted after a Hamas attack in which an explosive device injured two soldiers earlier on Saturday.
The statement read: ‘In response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today… prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz instructed the elimination of the terrorist Raed Saed, head of Hamas’ force buildup.’
The Jerusalem Post writes that the order was given over Saed’s role in Hamas’s ‘post-war rearmament activities’.
According to Reuters, it was the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas leader since the ceasefire in Gaza began.
The health authority in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, said the drone strike killed four and injured at least 25.
The Israeli Defense Forces said Saed had been killed in the attack on a car in the city.
A spokesperson for the IDF said: ‘Wherever we recognise that Hamas is trying to rehabilitate, we will act.
‘Earlier today, the IDF killed Raed Saed. His killing is a blow to Hamas’s attempts to rehabilitate and strengthen.
‘We will not allow our enemies to rehabilitate and build their strength. We will continue to be committed to continuing the ceasefire agreement.’
An Israeli military official also said that ‘in recent months [Saed] operated to re-establish Hamas’s capabilities and weapons manufacturing’.
However, Hamas condemned the attack as a ‘blatant violation’ of the ceasefire.
War broke out in Gaza on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapped 251 hostages in an attack in southern Israel.
More than 70,700 Palestinians – mostly civilians – have been killed since, according to Gazan health officials.
The ceasefire has meant hundreds of thousands of Palestinians could return to Gaza City.
But Palestinian health officials claim at least 386 people have been killed in strikes by Israeli forces in the city since the armistice on October 10, 2025.
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