The Israeli occupation claimed on Saturday that it had killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saad in an air strike near Gaza City, an attack that Gaza health authorities said left at least five people dead and more than 25 wounded.
Hamas issued a statement confirming that a civilian vehicle had been struck outside Gaza City but did not verify Saad’s death, describing the strike as a violation of the ceasefire that came into effect in October.
According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, an Israeli drone hit a vehicle near the Nabulsi junction in western Gaza City, though it did not specify casualty figures or confirm the identity of those targeted.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 13, 2025
ELIMINATED: Ra’ad Sa’ad, Head of the Weapons Production Headquarters of Hamas’ Military Wing and One of the Architects of the Brutal October 7th Massacre
Sa’ad was one of the last remaining veteran senior militants in the Gaza Strip and a close associate of Marwan Issa, the… pic.twitter.com/nIa1VUqryI
ELIMINATED: Ra’ad Sa’ad, Head of the Weapons Production Headquarters of Hamas’ Military Wing and One of the Architects of the Brutal October 7th MassacreIn a post on X, the Israeli occupation army alleged that Saad had been working to rebuild Hamas’s military capabilities, which it said had been weakened during more than two years of Israel’s war on Gaza. The IDF said he was responsible for the deaths of many soldiers through explosive devices manufactured by Hamas’ weapons production units during the war.
Hamas sources, however, have described Saad as the deputy commander of the group’s armed wing, second only to Izz al-Din al-Haddad, and a former leader of Hamas’s Gaza City battalion, one of its largest and most heavily equipped units.
If confirmed, Saad’s killing would mark the most high-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since the fragile ceasefire began in October.
Despite the truce, Gaza authorities say Israel has carried out nearly 800 attacks since then, killing at least 386 people and repeatedly breaching the agreement. Israel has also continued to severely restrict the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, halt attacks on UN facilities, and comply with international law in its role as an occupying power.
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