The Israeli military claimed to have struck a car in Gaza City carrying Hamas leader Raed Saed, who is accused by Tel Aviv of masterminding the Oct 7, 2023 raids. According to health authorities in Gaza, the strike killed four people. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics whether Saed was among the dead. The Israeli military said it had targeted “a senior Hamas commander” in Gaza City, without giving a name or further details.
If Saed was killed, it would be the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since a ceasefire deal came into effect in October. An Israeli defence official described Saed as “the head of Hamas’s weapon manufacturing force”. Hamas sources have also described him as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izzeldeen Al Hadad. Saed used to head Hamas’s Gaza City battalion, one of the group’s largest and best-equipped, those sources said.