Sunday 14 / December / 2025
Israel claims to have killed a top Hamas official in a targeted missile strike on Gaza City on Saturday.
The Gaza civil defense agency, part of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the enclave, said five people had been killed and another 25 injured in an airstrike, though it is unclear if both sides were referring to the same incident.
The target of the Israeli strike was Raed Saad, whom Israel called "one of the architects" of Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Although local authorities did not confirm that Saad was among the dead, his family told France's AFP news agency that a funeral would be held for him on Sunday.
Israel's army has said that Saad headed Hamas' weapons production.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saad was targeted "in response to the detonation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded [two of] our forces today in the Yellow Area of the Gaza Strip."
An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP: "Warplanes fired several missiles at the vehicle, setting it ablaze. Residents rushed to extinguish the fire, and charred body parts were scattered on the ground."
