Israel says it killed Hamas weapons chief Raad Saad in a Gaza strike, responding to an explosive device that wounded two Israeli soldiers
JERUSALEM: Israel said it killed the head of weapons production for Hamas’s military wing in a Gaza strike on Saturday.
The Israeli military said the strike in the Tel al-Hawa area killed senior Hamas figure Raad Saad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strike was ordered in response to a Hamas explosive device that wounded Israeli forces earlier in the day.
Netanyahu and Katz described Saad as “one of the architects” of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war.
The Israeli army said Saad led Hamas’s weapons production and military “force build-up”.
Earlier on Saturday, the military said two reserve soldiers were lightly wounded by an explosive device in southern Gaza.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said an Israeli strike killed five people when a “civilian jeep-type vehicle” was targeted in Tel al-Hawa.
Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the vehicle was hit by three missiles, causing it to burn.
The Al-Shifa hospital emergency department confirmed receiving five bodies and said more than 25 people were injured.
AFP footage from the scene showed a mangled car with parts scattered among other debris.
“Warplanes fired several missiles at the vehicle, setting it ablaze,” said one witness who declined to be named.
“Residents rushed to extinguish the fire, and charred body parts were scattered on the ground.”
Family sources confirmed Saad’s death to AFP and said his funeral would be held on Sunday.
Bassal also said two teenagers were killed by Israeli fire in separate incidents elsewhere in Gaza.
The US-brokered ceasefire that began on October 10 has halted fighting but remains fragile, with both sides accusing the other of violations. – AFP
