Hamas confirms death of military wing chief; funeral held in

GAZA/JERUSALEM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Hamas confirmed on Saturday that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, commander-in-chief of its armed wing the al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday.

The announcement was made by Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem in a video posted on Facebook.

According to Palestinian sources, hundreds of Palestinians attended al-Haddad's funeral on Saturday, with the procession starting from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Mosque in central Gaza City. Participants carried the bodies of al-Haddad, his wife and daughter through the streets, and chanted slogans denouncing the Israeli airstrike.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military and the domestic security agency Shin Bet confirmed in a joint statement that al-Haddad was killed in the Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Friday.

They said al-Haddad was one of the planners of the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a separate statement, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said the military will continue to "hold accountable everyone who took part" in the 2023 Hamas attack. "We will not relent until we reach them all," he said.

On Friday, Palestinian medical sources reported that at least 10 people were killed and at least 50 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building and a vehicle in Gaza City.

Al-Haddad, known by the nickname "Ghost of al-Qassam," was considered by Israel to be one of the most wanted figures. He had survived several previous assassination attempts, according to Israeli media.

Gaza-based Palestinian political analyst Ahed Ferwana told Xinhua that al-Haddad's death could have an operational impact on the group's field command.

Meanwhile, Ferwana suggested that the timing of the Israeli airstrike could be linked to domestic political considerations in Israel, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is attempting to bolster his standing" before a possible Knesset dissolution and in upcoming parliamentary elections.