Israel Eliminates Hamas No. 2 Raed Saad in Gaza

The IDF and Shin Bet announced on Saturday that Israeli forces killed Raed Hussein Saad, Hamas’s second-in-command in Gaza, in an airstrike in western Gaza City. Israeli officials said the strike was carried out in direct response to a Hamas ceasefire violation earlier in the day.

According to the IDF, Hamas terrorists detonated an explosive device against Israeli forces operating in the “yellow zone” of the Gaza Strip, lightly wounding two soldiers. Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz authorized the targeted killing of Saad, whom Israeli security officials described as one of the most senior decision-makers remaining in Hamas’s military leadership. Israeli officials said Saad’s killing further thins Hamas’s top command structure and leaves Izz al-Din Haddad as the most senior known commander still operating in Gaza.

In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Katz said the decision was taken “in response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today.” The statement added that Saad had been involved in rebuilding Hamas’s military capabilities and planning further attacks against Israel in blatant violation of the ceasefire. “Instead of advancing demilitarization, he was rearming for acts of terror,” the statement said. The two warned: “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel and harms IDF soldiers will have his hand cut off — in Gaza and anywhere else.”

The IDF said Saad headed Hamas’s weapons production headquarters and led the organization’s efforts to rearm and restore its capabilities during the war and the ceasefire. “Saad led Hamas’s military buildup, and his elimination constitutes a significant blow to the organization’s ability to rearm,” the military said.

Saad was a veteran Hamas commander with more than three decades of involvement in the terrorist organization. He was detained by Israel in 1990 and later imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority for his activities in Hamas. Over the years, he held a series of senior roles, including commander of the Gaza City brigade and founder of Hamas’s naval force in the early 2010s.

After serving as Gaza City commander, Saad was appointed head of operations, a role in which he helped establish Hamas’s elite Nukhba units. He also played a central role in developing “Jericho Wall,” the operational plan that formed the basis for Hamas’s October 7 massacre. Israeli officials say Saad later became head of weapons production, placing him at the core of Hamas’s war leadership and making him responsible for explosive devices that killed Israeli soldiers during the fighting.

Saad was closely aligned with Muhammad Deif and Marwan Issa and was part of Hamas’s inner military council. In the years before October 7, he was involved in an internal power struggle with the Sinwar brothers and was temporarily sidelined, but after October 7 and the start of the war, he was reinstated into Hamas’s top leadership. Israeli officials said two previous attempts to assassinate Saad during the war had failed.

Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire, claiming the strike targeted a civilian vehicle in western Gaza City. In a statement, the terrorist organization said the attack constituted “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and President Trump’s plan,” and called on mediators and guarantor states to restrain Israel. Hamas avoided explicitly naming Saad in its initial statements, a pattern seen in previous targeted killings. A channel identified with Hamas’s military wing later warned operatives that Israel may escalate further and urged heightened caution.

Palestinian reports said five people were killed in the strike. According to Axios, Israel did not notify the United States in advance of the strike.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the operation, saying: “I congratulate the IDF and the security forces on the successful elimination of the despicable Hamas terrorist Raed Saad, and the prime minister and defense minister for the correct decision to carry it out. Like his Nazi comrades in Hamas-ISIS, the State of Israel has placed its hand on Raed Saad.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also welcomed the killing, saying the fact that Saad was engaged in rebuilding Hamas’s military capabilities “again makes clear the obvious: Hamas has no intention of disarming itself or surrendering.” Ben Gvir called on Netanyahu to resume full-scale fighting in Gaza “to achieve the central goal of the war — the destruction of Hamas,” adding: “Until complete victory.”

Israeli officials described the killing of Saad as one of the most strategic assassinations of the war, signaling that senior Hamas terrorists involved in ceasefire violations remain legitimate targets.