Hamas accuses Israel of ceasefire breach after top commander Raed Saad killed
Hamas says senior commander Raed Saad was killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City, accusing Israel of breaching the ceasefire as both sides prepare for its next phase.
Palestinian political and militant group Hamas has confirmed that one of its senior commanders, Raed Saad, was killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City on Saturday, marking the highest-profile assassination of a senior figure in the group since the October ceasefire.
Hamas's Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, announced Raed’s death in a video statement on Sunday, urging the United States to hold Israel accountable for what he described as breaches of the ceasefire.
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"In the wake of Israel's continued violations, including the latest assassination of a Hamas commander just yesterday, we call on the mediators and especially the US administration and US President Donald Trump as the main guarantor of the agreement, to force the occupation [Israel] to respect the ceasefire deal and to implement it," he said.
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli forces targeted Raed because he was helping rebuild Hamas’s military capabilities, which had been weakened after years of conflict in Gaza.
They also accused him of involvement in the 7 October 2023 attacks, when Hamas carried out deadly raids on southern Israel that killed civilians and soldiers, sparking the current wave of fighting.
Hamas’s weapons production
Additional reports indicate that Raed was reportedly in charge of Hamas’s weapons production and was regarded as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izz al-Din al-Haddad.
The strike comes as Hamas and Israel prepare for the next phase of the ceasefire, expected to include an Israeli withdrawal, Palestinian disarmament, and a formal end to the war.
Hamas has said it is open to discussions on temporarily securing its weapons during the second phase of the truce, but it has firmly rejected any plan for an international force to manage their disarmament.
Daily attacks
Gaza authorities report that Israel has continued daily attacks since the ceasefire began on 10 October, with nearly 800 strikes killing at least 386 people, raising concerns about whether the agreement is holding.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior confirmed the assassination of an Interior Security Service officer, who was allegedly killed by unknown gunmen at the Al-Maghazai refugee camp in central Gaza.
According to the Ministry, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Zamzam, and an investigation has been launched to establish the motive behind it.
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