Israel Targets Senior Hamas Official in Deadly Gaza Strike
Gaza City: Israel carried out a military strike on Saturday targeting a senior Hamas commander, Raed Saad, inside Gaza. The attack reportedly killed several people and injured others.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and Shin Bet said Saad, head of weapons production for Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, was “eliminated” in the strike. Saad had led multiple brigades during Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israeli communities east of Gaza City.
حماس کے زیر انتظام سول ڈیفنس کے ترجمان محمود باسل نے بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ اس حملے میں کم از کم چار افراد ہلاک ہوئے اور متعدد راہگیروں کو بھی زخمی حالت میں ہسپتال منتقل کیا گیا۔
A local Hamas official added that Saad’s aide and another lower-ranking official, Abu Imad al-Laban, were also killed in the strike. Israel has not allowed independent media access inside Gaza to verify the details of the attack.
The IDF and ISA said in their statement that Saad was responsible for the deaths of numerous Israeli soldiers killed by explosive devices in the Gaza Strip. Saad was also part of a newly formed five-member military leadership council established after the October ceasefire.
اسرائیل نے انہیں کئی بار ہلاک کرنے کی کوشش کی تھی، جس میں مارچ 2024 میں ہونے والی ایک اسرائیلی کارروائی بھی شامل ہے، جب فوج نے انہیں گرفتار یا ہلاک کرنے کے لیے آپریشن کیا، لیکن وہ موقع پر فرار ہونے میں کامیاب رہے۔
The strike occurred on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called Yellow Line, dividing Gaza since the US-led ceasefire on 10 October. Israeli forces control the east, including just over half of the Gaza Strip.
President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the region aims to return hostages taken during the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. Around 1,200 people were killed in that attack and over 250 were taken hostage. Most hostages have been returned except for the remains of an Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili.
غزہ کی حماس کے زیر انتظام وزارت صحت کے مطابق، اسرائیلی فوجی کارروائیوں میں اب تک 70,000 سے زائد فلسطینی ہلاک ہو چکے ہیں۔
The next stage of Trump’s plan involves disarmament of Hamas, temporary governance by a technocratic Palestinian committee, and eventual restoration of Palestinian Authority control. An International Stabilisation Force would provide security, while Israeli forces would withdraw over time.
Many aspects of the plan are controversial in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the creation of a Palestinian state. Trump is scheduled to meet Netanyahu on 29 December to discuss the proposal.
