December 14, 2025 | 11:59 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - 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.
What do we know about the Israeli attack on Gaza City?
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."
During Gaza ceasefire killing continues
If Israel in fact killed Saad, it would be the highest-profile Hamas assassination since a fragile ceasefire was established on October 10.
Hamas sources described Saad as the second-in-command of the group's armed wing, known as the Qassam Brigades.
As has been the case before, both sides accused each other on Saturday of violating the October 10 ceasefire.
Israel said Saad had "operated to reestablish Hamas' capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire."
Hamas said Israel's airstrike targeting Saad was a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Although Israel has withdrawn to positions behind a so-called "yellow line," it still controls more than half of the Gaza Strip, as well as border crossings in and out of the devastated enclave.
The Hamas October 7 attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw 251 individuals abducted and held hostage during the war. At least 80 hostages died in captivity.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign against Hamas that resulted in the near total destruction of Gaza and the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians, most of whom are thought to be civilians.
Though the violence has slowed since October 10, it has not ended.
Palestinian health authorities claim that Israel has killed at least 386 people since then. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed during that time.
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