Israel Kills Top Hamas Military Commander in Gaza Airstrike; Hezbollah Attacks Israeli Forces

Israel carried out an air strike targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza. Al-Haddad is the highest-ranking military commander for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sits on Israel’s most-wanted list and is accused of being one of the architects of the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

No information was immediately available on his condition after the strike and Hamas has not responded.

Heavy smoke was still pouring out of a Gaza apartment building where the IDF struck Hamas leader Izz al-Din al-Haddad. The strike occurred as violence continued along the Lebanon-Israel border despite last month’s purported ceasefire. The Israeli military obstructed UNIFIL peacekeepers twice on Thursday.

In one incident south of the Lebanese town of Biyyada, an Israeli tank halted peacekeepers escorting the Lebanese Red Cross, pointed its main gun towards the convoy and instructed them to leave the area. The convoy south of Biyyada was later able to proceed. An Israeli tank briefly blocked a UNIFIL patrol near Naqoura.

Three mortal rounds fired by the Israeli military landed about 70 metres from a UNIFIL position near Rmeish on Thursday. UNIFIL reported one impact inside and another near a UN position in Biyyada, resulting in material damage to buildings. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres, said such restrictions are inconsistent with the obligation to respect UNIFIL’s freedom of movement.

He called on all actors to fully respect this obligation. Even as these incidents unfolded, Hezbollah carried out a series of coordinated attacks on Israeli soldiers across southern Lebanon using drones, rockets and artillery over the last few hours. The group targeted an Israeli enemy force positioned near the Marj pond in the town of Houla with a squadron of attack drones.