As the IDF launches Operation Gideon's Chariots II on Tuesday, Ezz El-Din al-Haddad, dubbed "the last Hamas commander in Gaza," is holed up "underground" together with thousands of other terrorists as the ground operation in Gaza City commences.
Al-Haddad serves as the "head of the military wing" of the terrorist organization. At his side are the two heads of the production and intelligence staffs, Ra'ed Sa'ad and Mohammed Awda.
At the war's outset, al-Haddad was the commander of the Gaza City Brigade. He oversaw six battalions of terrorists (around 6,000) and was part of the inner circle that decided on the October 7 massacre.
With most of Hamas' senior leaders abroad have been eliminated, the center of gravity again shifts to the Gaza Strip. Ezz El-Din al-Haddad has controlled the area since the killing of Mohammed Sinwar. He is now considered the "head of the military wing" of the terrorist organization. At his side are the two heads of the production and intelligence staffs, Ra'ed Sa'ad and Mohammed Awda. He is the one tasked with making the critical decisions regarding the war and the hostage situation.
At the beginning of the war, al-Haddad was the commander of the Gaza City Brigade. He commanded six terrorist battalions (approximately 6,000 fighters) and was part of the decision-making circle for the October 7 massacre.
According to foreign media, al-Haddad has survived a total of six assassination attempts, three of which occurred during the current war. In this connection, it was reported in Britain that an Israeli unit was dispatched to eliminate him at a house where he was hiding, but he was not found there.
At the start of the war, a bounty of $750,000 was placed on al-Haddad's head. The British newspaper The Times reported that according to intelligence, al-Haddad "is constantly changing his location and trusts very few people outside of his inner circle." Palestinian sources claim that two of his sons, who were active terrorists, were killed in the war.
In a January interview with Arab media, al-Haddad addressed a question about whether Iran and Hezbollah knew about the terror offensive on Oct. 7. He stated, "Given the large scale and anticipated consequences of the attack – the brothers in the axis of resistance were updated on the general picture. (But) we kept the timing of the zero hour to the narrowest possible circle to ensure the attack's success."
At least four battalion commanders serving under al-Haddad have been eliminated. Following the elimination of Ahmed Ghandour, the commander of the northern Gaza Strip brigade, the entire region fell under al-Haddad's responsibility. After the heads of the "military wing" – Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, and Mohammed Sinwar – were eliminated, thousands of terrorists began operating under his authority.
According to a publication in The Wall Street Journal, a released Israeli hostage encountered al-Haddad five times during his captivity, sometimes sleeping in the same safe house with him.
The first time they met in March 2024, al-Haddad came in and sat on the floor beside two hostages, asking in Hebrew, "How are you?" Subsequently, al-Haddad told them he was in charge of all the hostages in Gaza, took out his smartphone, and scrolled through photos of different hostages, some of whom the since-freed hostage recognized.
In July, satirical leaflets titled "The Reality" were circulated in the Gaza Strip, featuring the "new look" (as seen in the photo above) of Ezz El-Din al-Haddad, the new head of the terror group's military wing. The IDF's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, later confirmed that the image published in the leaflet, distributed by the IDF, was indeed of Ezz El-Din al-Haddad, and that he was located in a tunnel in Khan Younis.
