Draft:Ezzedine Haddad
| Ezzedine Haddad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Ezzedine Haddad |
| Other Names | Abu Suhayb
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| Personal Details | |
| Birth Place | {{{birth_place}}} |
| Brith Date | 1970 CE |
| Death Place | Gaza Strip |
| Death Date | 15 May 2026 CE [citation needed] |
| Religion | Islam |
Ezzedine Haddad, known by the nom de guerre "Abu Suhayb" and "Ghost of Qassam", was a member of the Hamas Military Council, Commander of the Hamas Military Office in the Gaza Strip, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He played an active role in jihadist operations such as Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. After surviving multiple failed assassination attempts by Israel, earning him the nickname "Ghost of Qassam", he was finally killed on Friday, 15 May 2026 CE, corresponding to 27 Dhu al-Qi'dah, following an airstrike that also killed his wife, Umm Suhayb, his daughter Nour, and several innocent civilians[citation needed].
Biography
Ezzedine Haddad was born in 1970 CE.
Career in Hamas
He joined the Hamas movement upon its establishment in 1987 CE and rose through the ranks within the Qassam Brigades. He initially worked as an infantry soldier in the Gaza Brigade, then became a squad commander, then a battalion commander, and finally reached the command of the brigade itself. He was the deputy of the late Mohammed Sinwar as Chief of Staff of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. After Israel assassinated prominent Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Marwan Issa during the 2023 CE invasion of the Gaza Strip, Ezzedine Haddad became target number one for the occupiers, and a bounty of $750,000 was set for information regarding him.
Activities
Haddad participated in planning and executing several military operations and attacks against Israeli occupiers and played an active role in organizing the "Al-Majd" apparatus in Al-Qassam, a unit responsible for tracking and eliminating suspects of espionage for Israel. Following the assassination of Bassem Issa in the Battle of the Sword of Jerusalem, Haddad officially took command of the Gaza Brigade and became one of the most wanted individuals by the occupying army, which announced a financial bounty of $750,000 for information about him and his hiding place in November 2023 CE.
Assassination Attempts
Haddad was subjected to several assassination attempts by Israel; as the occupiers bombed his house multiple times, the first of which was in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood during the Battle of Al-Furqan in 2009 CE, and the occupiers tried to assassinate him again in 2012 CE and 2021 CE. In late 2023 CE, Israeli forces raided his house in the Tuffah neighborhood and claimed to have found documents and photos confirming his connection with other field commanders. In February 2024 CE, his house in Tel al-Hawa was bombed, but he survived. In March of the same year, his house was targeted for the fourth time. On 17 January 2025 CE, the Qassam Brigades announced the killing of his son, Suhayb al-Haddad, in the bombing by Israeli occupiers that targeted the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
Haddad appeared in military uniform in a video that Hamas released one year before Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. This operation was launched by the Palestinian resistance against settlements around Gaza on 7 October 2023 CE. In that video, Ezzedine al-Haddad warned Israel that in any future battle, it would be shocked by the precision, intensity, and impact of Qassam missiles. The title of this video was "Production Chief", and in it, Haddad spoke about Walid Shamali, one of the leaders of the Qassam Brigades who was killed in the 2021 war. Haddad said: In the next battle, the enemy will witness the fruit of this sincere resistance. This is God's promise: Our path is towards the Holy Land, and we are coming.
Haddad's promise was quickly realized, and several units under his command carried out operations and attacked settlements around Gaza, including a special unit responsible for the first attack on the morning of 7 October 2023 CE. On 6 October, hours before the surprise attack, Haddad secretly summoned his commanders and gave them a paper with the Al-Qassam Brigades emblem on which was written: With faith in decisive victory, the Brigades leadership has agreed to launch the major military operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Rely on God, fight bravely, act with a clear conscience, and let the cry of "Allahu Akbar" be a source of pride. Among his most important orders in this meeting were the necessity of capturing a large number of Israeli soldiers in the early hours of the operation, live broadcasting images of the attack on settlements and military sites, and controlling residential areas. He also recommended bringing flags of Arab and Islamic countries to raise them in these locations.
Death
Ezzedine Haddad was killed on Friday, 15 May 2026, after being targeted in an airstrike in which 7 Palestinians, including three women and children, were killed and dozens injured[citation needed][1].
Notes
References
See also
External links
Reactions
Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel and Katz, Minister of Defense, announced in a joint statement that al-Haddad was targeted in this airstrike and stated that this operation was carried out under their direct supervision. Israeli media reported that drones and warplanes targeted this apartment building and stated that the bombed vehicle was likely used to transfer mourners after the apartment was targeted.
Hamas
Hamas movement mourned him after the funeral ceremony of Ezzedine al-Haddad, the commander-in-chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, who was martyred on Friday in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City. The movement announced in a statement that al-Haddad, along with his wife, Umm Suhayb, his daughter, Nour, and a number of innocent civilians, were martyred as a result of the treacherous and cowardly assassination by the Zionist regime. This occurred after a jihadist life full of sacrifice, selflessness, readiness, and steadfastness, during which he remained determined on the battlefronts, advanced without retreat, and defended his people, land, and sanctities until the last moments.
The statement stated that al-Haddad dedicated his life to the fields of resistance, readiness, and confrontation with the occupiers, and was the pillar of the resistance movement in the Gaza Strip. The statement emphasized that his wise leadership, field instructions, and management in the battle against the occupiers, especially during the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, served as a source of inspiration for the heroes of the Al-Qassam Brigades and a powerful force against the enemy and its army. The statement noted that his martyrdom occurred after he had previously offered his dear sons, the mujahideen Suhayb and Muemen, and his son-in-law, the mujahid Mahmoud Abu Husayra, as martyrs in the way of Jerusalem and liberation during the Al-Aqsa Flood battle.
The movement emphasized that the assassinations and crimes committed by the occupiers against the people of Palestine in the Gaza Strip since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement reaffirms the criminal and fascist nature of this terrorist entity, its disregard for all international laws and conventions, and its unsuccessful attempts to impose political and military realities that it has failed to achieve by force. The movement announced in its statement that it holds the international community, especially the mediating and guarantor countries of the agreement, accountable for their political, legal, humanitarian, and moral responsibilities to take immediate and serious actions to force the occupying government to fully comply with the terms of the agreement and stop its ongoing crimes and aggressions against innocent civilians[1].
Islamic Jihad
Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued a statement, offering condolences on the martyrdom of Ezzedine al-Haddad (Abu Suhayb), the commander-in-chief of the Martyr Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, and announced that the Zionist regime targeted him in a vindictive assassination operation; an operation in which members of his family and a number of civilians were also targeted, and this crime is considered a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Islamic Jihad emphasized: The declaration by war criminals in the cabinet of the occupying regime that their account remains open with the heroes of the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is nothing but deceiving public opinion, blatantly violating all agreements, insulting the efforts of mediators, and exploiting bloods to impose new security and field realities.
The statement of Palestinian Islamic Jihad stated: If there is an open account, it belongs to the Palestinian nation and the nations of our Ummah with this regime that has committed the most horrific crimes against humanity in contemporary history and is hated and ostracized worldwide today. The Islamic Jihad movement offered condolences and congratulations to the Hamas movement and the Al-Qassam Brigades on the martyrdom of Ezzedine al-Haddad and clarified that the assassination of commanders and mujahideen and targeting them will only make the Palestinian nation firmer and stronger in the path of resistance and will frustrate all enemy goals and plans[2].
Al-Qassam Brigades
The statement of the Al-Qassam Brigades regarding the martyrdom of Ezzedine al-Haddad stated: This great commander was martyred in the cowardly assassination operation by the enemy in the center of Gaza City which is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. Al-Qassam added: This major incident is only a double motivation that encourages the steadfast nation and its heroic resistance to continue the path of struggle and resistance[3].
Hezbollah Lebanon
Hezbollah Lebanon issued a statement, strongly condemning the assassination of the commander-in-chief of the Martyr Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, Ezzedine al-Haddad, nicknamed "Abu Suhayb", by the occupying regime of Jerusalem in the Gaza Strip. The Hezbollah statement stated: Hezbollah strongly condemns the heinous crime committed by the Israeli enemy in the Gaza Strip which led to the martyrdom of the commander-in-chief of the Martyr Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Commander Ezzedine al-Haddad "Abu Suhayb". He, along with his wife and daughter and a group of Palestinian civilians, reached Martyrdom in this treacherous attack that occurred in the center of the Gaza Strip, along with dozens of other innocent wounded.
Hezbollah emphasized that this action is a blatant violation of ceasefire agreements and reveals the extent of the enemy's disregard and breach of all covenants and treaties. The statement adds: This emphasizes that the enemy's thirst for bloodshed dominates its mind and behavior, and all negotiations and agreements it signs are nothing but a waste of time. The movement, while offering condolences and mourning for the Qassam commander hero Haddad, expressed its honor and pride in the great sacrifices he made in the path of jihad and resistance. Hezbollah also conveyed in its statement its sincerest condolences and congratulations to the leadership of the Hamas movement, the Palestinian nation, the family of the martyr commander, and the families of other martyrs who were martyred in this criminal attack, and asked for mercy and high ranks for them and speedy recovery for the wounded.
The statement continues: The martyrdom of Commander al-Haddad is a new medal of honor on the chest of the Hamas movement, which proves every time that it is steadfast in the path of jihad and resistance, and the assassination of its commanders does not weaken it, but rather increases its ability and presence and makes it more determined in steadfastness and confrontation. Hezbollah also stated: The martyr mujahid al-Haddad achieved what he had wished for throughout his life; because God Almighty honored him and ended his blessed life with blood-stained martyrdom, just as is the wish of every mujahid and fighter in this Ummah. The movement concluded its statement by emphasizing: These great sacrifices that the Hamas movement and all mujahid groups, as well as the great and heroic nation of Palestine, have made and are making, will bring nothing but one outcome for the Ummah and Palestine; an outcome of honor, victory, and dignity by God's leave, who is the best Master and the best Helper[4].
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the terrorist action of the bloodthirsty Zionist regime in the assassination of Ezzedine al-Haddad, commander-in-chief of the Qassam Brigades, his wife, and his child, and congratulates and offers condolences for the martyrdom of this great mujahid and his wife and child in the path of the divine-human cause of Palestine to the leadership of the Hamas Movement, the mujahid and patient nation of Palestine, and all Muslims and free people of the world. This terrorist action and similar assassinations are part of Israel's criminal plan to erase Palestine, and the America, as the largest military, financial, and political supporter of the Zionist apartheid regime, is an accomplice in each and every one of these crimes.
The cowardly assassination of Palestinian leaders and elites is a clear sign of the desperation and helplessness of a regime that, despite committing the most horrific crimes and killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people over the past eight decades, has failed to dry up the spirit of resistance against occupation, apartheid, and brutal colonialism in the minds and hearts of the Palestinian people, to the extent that Palestinians are more determined than ever to fight for their human rights, especially the right to self-determination. Undoubtedly, the physical elimination of resistance commanders and Palestinian elites will not only not hinder the school and path of resistance, but will inspire the followers and mujahids of the path of honor and freedom of Palestine.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Hamas mourns the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades and recalls his role in the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, Al Jazeera website.
- ↑ Palestinian Islamic Jihad's reaction to the martyrdom of the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Taghrib News Agency website.
- ↑ Al-Qassam: "Ezzedine al-Haddad" was martyred in an operation blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement, Borna News Agency website.
- ↑ Hezbollah while condemning the assassination of Ezzedine al-Haddad: This assassination is a violation of the ceasefire, Palestine Information Center website.
References
- Hamas mourns commander of Qassam Brigades and recalls his role in Al-Aqsa Flood battle, Al Jazeera website, Publication date: 16 May 2026, Access date: 16 May 2026.
- Reaction of Palestinian Islamic Jihad to the martyrdom of the commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Taghrib News Agency website, Publication date: 16 May 2026, Access date: 16 May 2026.
- Al-Qassam: "Ezzedine al-Haddad" was martyred in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, Borna News Agency website, Publication date: , Access date: 16 May 2026.
- Hezbollah while condemning the assassination of Ezzedine al-Haddad: This assassination is a violation of the ceasefire, Palestine Information Center website, Publication date: 16 May 2026, Access date: 16 May 2026.