Israel said Saturday it killed a senior Hamas commander in a car strike in Gaza City, while health officials in the enclave report multiple casualties caused by the attack. The Israeli military said Raed Saed, whom officials described as head of Hamas' weapons manufacturing and "one of the architects" of the Oct. 7, 2023, deadly attack on southern Israel was the target of the strike, the Guardian reports. The attack was carried out two months into the ceasefire.
Gaza health authorities said four people were killed and at least 25 wounded, but there was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medical sources that Saed was among the dead. Hamas did acknowledge that a civilian vehicle had been struck. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that he and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the assassination, per the New York Times. The statement said it was "in response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today" and said Saed has been leading the buildup of Hamas' military forces.
An Israeli defense official called Saed's reported killing the most significant assassination of a Hamas leader since a ceasefire deal took effect in October, per the Guardian. The ceasefire has allowed many displaced Palestinians to return to heavily damaged areas of Gaza City and increased the flow of aid, but fighting has not stopped: Palestinian health authorities report at least 386 people killed in Israeli strikes since the truce, while Israel said that three of its soldiers have died and that it has continued to target armed militants.
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