The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed that Ezzedine Al-Haddad, chief of Hamas' armed wing, was killed in an air strike in Gaza the day before.
The military said Haddad was "one of the last senior commanders in Hamas's military wing who directed the planning and execution of the October 7th massacre".
"Throughout the war, Haddad was involved in the holding of many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity," the military added.
The military said Haddad was involved in holding numerous Israeli hostages throughout the war and accused him of overseeing the killing, kidnapping and harming of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
It added that he orchestrated attacks against Israeli forces and refused to implement the agreement proposed by US President Donald Trump to disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip.
