A Hamas official has confirmed to the BBC that Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, commander of the group's armed wing, was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Haddad had been responsible for the murder, kidnapping and injury of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers.
Israel described him as one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.
The strike is the latest launched by Israel on Gaza despite a ceasefire with Hamas.
Three eyewitnesses reported that a residential building known as Al-Mu'taz was struck by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions, before another missile hit a fleeing car.
The air strike, targeting the apartment block in the center of Gaza City, sparked a large fire.
Rescue teams faced significant difficulties evacuating the wounded from the scene, according to witnesses.
One eyewitness mentioned that a body and several injured people were removed from the building.
A second air strike targeted a car that was seen leaving the site, killing three individuals, according to local sources.
It is believed the vehicle may have been carrying Haddad, who was seriously injured in the initial strike.
Eyewitnesses said that armed Hamas members dressed in civilian clothing evacuated a severely wounded person through a side entrance and placed him in a vehicle, which was subsequently hit about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the apartment block.
A senior Israeli security official confirmed preliminary information suggesting that Haddad had been successfully targeted.
A ceasefire in Gaza had been in effect since October 10, but Israel has been conducting regular strikes across the Palestinian territory since then. Hamas continues to accuse Israel of violating the ceasefire and attacking civilians, while Israel maintains its right to target Hamas members.
During the ongoing conflict, which reignited after a Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023, more than 72,744 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
