IDF Strikes Kill Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Head of Hamas Gaza Military Wing — Day 948 / Day 6 of Renewed Campaign

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on May 16, 2026 (Day 948 of the war; Day 6 of Israel's renewed military campaign authorized May 10) killed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, identified by the IDF as the head of Hamas's Gaza military wing — the most senior Hamas military commander killed since Mohammed Sinwar on May 13, 2026. Two separate strikes were carried out: the first on a residential building and the second targeting al-Haddad's vehicle. Seven people were killed and dozens wounded; casualties were treated at Saraya Field Hospital and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz both confirmed the operation publicly. An Israeli official stated the operation had been approved the prior week but was executed on May 16 due to an 'operational opportunity.' The IDF separately confirmed the recent killing of three additional Hamas operatives: Khamer Iyad Muhammad Al-Matouq and Khaled Muhammad Salem Jouda (both northern Gaza, identified as October 7 attack participants who had attempted attacks on IDF troops) and Abdel Rahman Mahmoud Jumaa Shafi (central Gaza, Bureij Battalion member). The Haddad killing is part of Israel's declared strategy of systematically eliminating Hamas's reconstituted military leadership. Al-Haddad filled a role vacated following the sequential killings of Mohammed Deif (July 2024), Yahya Sinwar (October 2024), and Mohammed Sinwar (May 13, 2026). Hamas had not publicly named or confirmed al-Haddad's role as military wing chief prior to the Israeli announcement.