The Israeli military has announced that it killed senior Hamas commander Raid Said, “one of the architects of the 7 October 2023 attacks” in Israel, in an attack on a car in Gaza City.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Said was targeted in response to a Hamas attack on Saturday, in which an explosive device injured two Israeli soldiers.
The car attack in Gaza City killed five people and injured at least 25 others, according to health authorities in the Palestinian enclave.
There has been no immediate confirmation from Hamas or local health authorities that Said was among the dead.
An Israeli military official described Said as a senior Hamas figure who helped create and advance the Palestinian Islamist group’s weapons production network.
Hamas condemned the attack in a statement, calling it a violation of the ceasefire agreement, but did not indicate whether Said was injured.
Separately, the Israeli military said it would “temporarily” suspend a planned strike on Saturday targeting what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
A ceasefire has been in place since November 2024, following more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese group, alongside the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, the Israeli army issued a warning announcing the imminent strike and calling on residents of the Yanouh community in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately.
Under the ceasefire agreement, the Lebanese army is expected to complete the destruction of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure located between the Israel-Lebanon border and the Litani River, around 30 kilometres further north, by the end of the year.