Israel said it killed a senior Hamas commander on Saturday in a strike on a vehicle inside Gaza.In a joint statement, the Israeli military and security agency Shin Bet announced it had “eliminated” Raed Saad, the head of weapons production for Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in Gaza city.Saad had been regarded as one of the most prominent Qassam commanders and led several brigades during Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israeli communities east of Gaza City. The Hamas-run Civil Defence spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, told the BBC that four people were killed in the strike. He said multiple passers-by were also injured by the blast.A local Hamas official in Gaza told the BBC that the strike also killed Saad’s aide and another lower-ranking official identified as Abu Imad al-Laban.The BBC is prevented by Israel from reporting independently from inside Gaza and is unable to verify details of the incident. The IDF and ISA joint statement added that Saad had been “responsible for the deaths of many soldiers” killed in the Gaza Strip as the result of explosive devices.Saad is believed to be a member of the newly formed five-member leadership military council established since a ceasefire took hold in October. Israel has attempted to kill him on multiple occasions.One of the most notable attempts was during a surprise Israeli operation in Gaza City in March 2024, when Israeli forces reportedly sought to arrest or kill him. Sources at the time said Saad had been inside the targeted complex but managed to escape moments before the raid.He has long been considered one of Israel’s most wanted Hamas figures, with Israeli attempts to kill him spanning more than two decades.Saturday’s attack happened on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called Yellow Line which has divided Gaza since an unstable US-led ceasefire came into effect on 10 October.Israeli forces control the area t …
