Hamas says Israeli strike killed senior commander Raed Saad amid ceasefire

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 14 (ANI): Hamas has confirmed that senior commander Raed Saad was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, marking the most high-profile assassination of a Hamas leader since the ceasefire that came into effect in October, Al Jazeera reported.

The Israeli military said it carried out the attack on Saturday near Gaza City, claiming Saad was the target.

At least 25 people were reported wounded in the strike. Hamas acknowledged his death on Sunday through a video statement by its Gaza chief, Khalil al-Hayya, who accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

"In the wake of Israel's continued violations, including the latest assassination of a Hamas commander just yesterday, we call on the mediators and especially the US administration and US President Donald Trump as the main guarantor of the agreement, to force the occupation [Israel] to respect the ceasefire deal and to implement it," he said.

According to authorities in Gaza, Israeli forces have continued daily military operations since the ceasefire began on October 10, carrying out nearly 800 attacks and killing at least 386 people, actions they say violate the terms of the agreement.

Hamas and Gaza officials have also accused Israel of blocking the free flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave, another alleged breach of the truce. The situation has been further compounded by Storm Byron, which flooded around 27,000 tent shelters, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians struggling with worsening living conditions, as per Al Jazeera.

The humanitarian crisis has drawn international attention. Last week, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, halt attacks on UN facilities, and comply with international law as an occupying power.

"Our priority is to continue with the steps to end the war and especially to complete phase one [of the ceasefire], which includes allowing aid and needed equipment to enter to rehabilitate hospitals and medical centres and the infrastructure," al-Hayya said, adding that this must include opening the Rafah crossing with Egypt "in two directions" and advancing to phase two to secure "full withdrawal of the occupation".

The October truce calls for the disarmament of Hamas and deployment of an international stabilisation force proposed by US President Donald Trump. But al-Hayya, who himself survived an Israeli assassination attempt in Doha in September, said the role of any international peace force should be strictly limited, according to Al Jazeera.

"The mission of the international peace force must be limited to maintaining or keeping the ceasefire and to separate the two sides on the boundaries of the Gaza Strip," he said, adding that Hamas and other Palestinian factions remain committed to the agreement but reject any form of guardianship imposed on Gaza or its people.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army claimed in a Telegram post that Raed Saad had been working to rebuild Hamas's military capabilities, which Israel says have been significantly weakened after more than two years of war in Gaza. The military also described Saad as one of the key planners of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. (ANI)

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