Israel says it has killed Hamas commander in Gaza air strike

Israel says it has killed Hamas commandant Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, who it described arsenic "one of the architects of the October 7 massacre", successful an aerial onslaught connected Gaza City.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yisrael Katz said successful a associated connection that Haddad had been "responsible for the murder, kidnapping and wounded of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers".

Three eyewitnesses told the BBC that a residential gathering known arsenic Al-Mu'taz was struck by 3 missiles launched simultaneously from 2 abstracted directions, earlier a fleeing car was hit.

The onslaught is the latest launched by Israel connected Gaza contempt a ceasefire with Hamas.

Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied claims Haddad, the commandant of the group's equipped wing, the Qassam Brigades, had been killed.

The aerial strike, targeting the flat artifact successful the centre of Gaza City, sparked a ample fire.

Rescue teams rushed to the country but faced important difficulties evacuating the wounded, witnesses said.

One eyewitness told the BBC that a assemblage and respective injured radical had been removed from the building.

A 2nd aerial strike, targeting a car seen leaving the scene, killed 3 people, according to eyewitnesses and a section source.

Sources said the conveyance whitethorn person been carrying Haddad aft helium had been earnestly injured successful the archetypal strike.

Eyewitnesses and a section root said equipped members of Hamas dressed successful civilian covering evacuated a severely wounded idiosyncratic done a broadside entranceway and placed him successful a vehicle.

Witnesses said the car was deed astir 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the flat block.

A elder Israeli information authoritative said preliminary accusation indicated that Haddad had been successfully targeted.

A ceasefire successful Gaza came into effect connected 10 October, but Israel has conducted regular strikes crossed the Palestinian territory since then.

Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of breaching the presumption of the ceasefire and attacking civilians. The Israeli authorities maintains it has licence to people Hamas members.

It, successful turn, accuses Hamas of refusing to disarm successful breach of the ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, US-led bid efforts person stalled since the commencement of the Iran war, with second phases of the plan yet to travel into effect

The US announced the commencement of the 2nd signifier of the program successful January, with governance of Gaza assumed by a transitional, technocratic medication alongside the demilitarisation and reconstruction of the territory.

Netanyahu and Katz said Haddad had "refused to instrumentality the statement led by US President Trump to disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip".

They added: "We volition proceed to enactment forcefully and decisively against anyone who took portion successful the October 7 massacre."

The two-year-long Gaza warfare was triggered by the Hamas-led onslaught connected confederate Israel connected 7 October 2023, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel responded by launching a subject run against Hamas successful Gaza, during which much than 72,744 radical person been killed, according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry. Of these, 857 person been killed since the ceasefire began, it says.