Trending:Messi in IndiaBrown University shootingPM Modi 3-nation tourIndia vs SA 3rd T202025 Yearend specialsSingle Papa reviewIsrael says it killed Hamas weapons chief Raad Saad in Gaza air strikeagence france-presse • December 14, 2025, 11:25:32 ISTWhatsapp Facebook TwitterIsrael said it killed Raad Saad, the head of weapons production in Hamas’s military wing and a key figure behind the October 7 attack, in an airstrike in Gaza’s Tel al-Hawa area that local sources said left five people deadAdvertisementSubscribe Join Us+ Follow us On GoogleChoose Firstpost on GoogleA woman sits inside her damaged apartment, surrounded by the the rubble of neighboring residences, all devastated by Israeli bombardments, in Gaza City, Friday Nov.14, 2025. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)Israel said it killed the head of weapons production in Hamas’s military wing in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The civil defence agency and medical sources in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory told AFP an Israeli strike killed five people in the Tel al-Hawa district, southwest of Gaza City. Contacted by AFP, the army said there was only one strike conducted in the area which killed the top Hamas figure, Raad Saad. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that “in response to the detonation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today in the Yellow Area of the Gaza Strip… (they) instructed the elimination of the terrorist Raad Saad”. More from World Israel-Hamas ceasefire phase-2 hits new hurdle — who will fund Gaza rebuilding? Qatar, Egypt urge Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza to secure second phase of ceasefireUnder the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Israeli troops have withdrawn to positions behind the so-called Yellow Line, though they are still in control of more than half the territory. Netanyahu and Katz described Saad as “one of the architects” of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. The Israeli army said Saad was the head of the weapons production headquarters of Hamas’s military wing who led the group’s “force build-up”. Family sources confirmed his death to AFP, and said the funeral would be held on Sunday. Quick ReadsView AllRussia hits Odesa with major drone and missile attack, leaving over a million homes without powerBelarus releases 123 prisoners including opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova after US lifts sanctionsIsrael’s military earlier on Saturday said two reserve soldiers were lightly injured “as a result of an explosive device that detonated during an operation to clear the area of terrorist infrastructure in southern Gaza”. The ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 has halted the fighting between Israel and Hamas, but it remains fragile with each side accusing the other of violating its terms. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADBurnt-out carMahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza civil defence which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, said five people were killed after “a civilian jeep-type vehicle was targeted near the Nabulsi roundabout in Tel al-Hawa”. Bassal said the “charred” bodies were taken to Al-Shifa hospital after “Israeli warplanes targeted the civilian vehicle with three missiles, causing it to burn and its destruction”. The hospital’s emergency department confirmed to AFP the arrival of the five bodies and said that more than 25 people were injured in the strike. AFP footage showed a mangled car with vehicle parts scattered around next to other debris.“Warplanes fired several missiles at the vehicle, setting it ablaze,” a witness, who did not wish to give his name for security reasons, said in the Tal al-Hawa area.“Residents rushed to extinguish the fire, and charred body parts were scattered on the ground.”Another witness, a 34-year-old man living in a tent in the Tel al-Hawa area, said he “saw several Hamas members arrive at the site of the attack”, witho.
