Israel says it has killed Hamas commander in Gaza air strike

Israel says it has killed Hamas commander in Gaza air strike31 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRushdi Abualouf,Gaza correspondent,andAleks PhillipsGetty ImagesIsrael says it has killed Hamas commander Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, who it described as "one of the architects of the October 7 massacre", in an air strike on Gaza City.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yisrael Katz said in a joint statement that Haddad had been "responsible for the murder, kidnapping and injury of thousands of Israeli civilians and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers".Three eyewitnesses told the BBC that a residential building known as Al-Mu'taz was struck by three missiles launched simultaneously from two separate directions, before a fleeing car was hit.The strike is the latest launched by Israel on Gaza despite a ceasefire with Hamas.Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied claims Haddad, the commander of the group's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, had been killed.The air strike, targeting the apartment block in the centre of Gaza City, sparked a large fire.Rescue teams rushed to the scene but faced significant difficulties evacuating the wounded, witnesses said.One eyewitness told the BBC that a body and several injured people had been removed from the building.A second air strike, targeting a car seen leaving the scene, killed three people, according to eyewitnesses and a local source.Sources said the vehicle may have been carrying Haddad after he had been seriously injured in the initial strike.Eyewitnesses and a local source said armed members of Hamas dressed in civilian clothing evacuated a severely wounded person through a side entrance and placed him in a vehicle.Witnesses said the car was hit around 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the apartment block.A senior Israeli security official said preliminary information indicated that Haddad had been successfully targeted.ReutersThe air strike on the apartment block in the centr...