Israel Confirms Top Hamas Military Commander Killed in Gaza Airstrike
A US Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber jet carrying Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) takes off from RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 13, 2026. Fairford is one of two bases, along with the Diego Garcia facility in the Indian Ocean, that the UK has given the US permission to use for "specific defensive operations into Iran" to destroy Iranian missiles at source, the British defence minister said in a statement. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
May 16, 2026 | Burma Independent Voice
The Israeli military confirmed on Saturday that Ezzedin Al-Haddad, a top military commander of Hamas, was killed during an airstrike in Gaza on Friday.
In a joint statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet domestic security agency, authorities stated, “Yesterday, a precision strike was conducted in the vicinity of Gaza City, neutralizing the terrorist Ezzedin Al-Haddad.” Two Hamas officials also confirmed to AFP that Al-Haddad was killed during Israeli strikes targeting a residential apartment and a civilian vehicle in Gaza City on Friday.
According to the IDF, Al-Haddad was “one of the last remaining senior Hamas military commanders who planned, directed, and executed the October 7 massacre.”
“Throughout the war, Al-Haddad was deeply involved in holding numerous Israeli hostages under Hamas captivity,” the Israeli military stated. The IDF further alleged that Al-Haddad managed Hamas’s hostage detention system and routinely surrounded himself with hostages to shield himself from targeted Israeli strikes.
