GAZA CITY, December 13, 2025 — The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it conducted a **targeted strike in Gaza City that killed senior Hamas commander **Raed Saad (also spelled Raad Saad), described as one of the key architects of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and head of Hamas’s weapons production operations.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Saad was eliminated in response to recent violations of the ceasefire, including an explosive device that injured Israeli soldiers earlier that day:
“In response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today … we instructed the elimination of the terrorist Raed Saad, head of Hamas’s force buildup,” the officials said.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) publicly identified Saad as the “Head of the Weapons Production Headquarters” for the militant group’s military wing, the Izz al-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, and one of the architects of the brutal October 7 massacre.
According to the IDF, Saad was involved in rebuilding Hamas’s capabilities and weapons manufacturing even after the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, in a “blatant violation of the truce.”
Local health officials in Gaza reported that the strike on the vehicle west of Gaza City killed four to five people and wounded at least 25 others. There has been no independent confirmation whether Saad was among those killed, and Hamas has not confirmed his death, instead condemning the attack as a “violation of the ceasefire” and asserting that a civilian vehicle was hit.
If confirmed, this would be the most high-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since the October truce began.
Context and Ongoing Tensions
The conflict stems from the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-linked militants that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and took hostages, sparking a prolonged Israeli campaign in Gaza. Despite the ceasefire, violence has continued intermittently, with both sides accusing the other of violations. Palestinian health authorities report hundreds of fatalities from Israeli strikes since the truce began, and Israel cites attacks on its forces as justification for ongoing operations.
