The Israeli military carried out a strike in Gaza on Friday targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the most senior remaining Hamas commander in the enclave, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. 

Al-Haddad was the leader of Hamas’ military wing and was “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre,” according to the statement.

The strike, carried out by the Israeli Air Force, had been approved about a week and a half earlier, during which time Israeli forces kept Al-Haddad under constant surveillance, an Israeli official told reporters. The official said the operation was carried out after an “operational opportunity” emerged.

Al-Haddad “held our hostages in brutal captivity, directed terrorist operations against our forces, and refused to implement the agreement led by U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu and Katz’s statement said. “The IDF and the Shin Bet are effectively implementing the government’s policy of not tolerating threats and preemptively thwarting our enemies.”

The strike comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was first implemented in October 2025, under which Israeli forces withdrew to a “yellow line” encompassing roughly 53% of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has yet to comply with the next phase of Trump’s plan, which calls for the group’s disarmament.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza, wrote in a recent letter obtained by The Times of Israel to the technocratic committee governing Gaza that the board would not expect Israel to abide by the terms of the ceasefire if Hamas continues to refuse to disarm.