The IDF described Haddad as the last remaining senior Hamas commander allegedly involved in planning the October 7 massacre in Israel.

Detailing his role, the Israeli military said: “Following the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar, Haddad assumed his role and worked to rebuild Hamas’s capabilities while planning numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”

The IDF further alleged that throughout the ongoing conflict, Haddad had been directly involved in holding several Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity and had managed Hamas’s hostage detention system by surrounding himself with hostages in an apparent attempt to prevent his elimination.

The strike marks the latest Israeli military operation in Gaza despite the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

According to eyewitnesses cited by the BBC, a residential building known as Al-Mu'taz was hit by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions before a fleeing vehicle was struck in a second attack.

One eyewitness told the BBC that a body and several injured individuals were removed from the building following the strike.

A second airstrike targeting a vehicle seen leaving the scene reportedly killed three people, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.

Sources quoted by the British broadcaster indicated that the vehicle may have been carrying Haddad after he was seriously wounded in the initial strike.

The ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on October 10, but tensions have remained high amid repeated accusations by Hamas that Israel has violated the truce by continuing attacks on civilian areas.

The latest strike is expected to further intensify scrutiny over the fragile ceasefire as both sides continue to trade allegations of violations.