Latest news with #Ezzedinal-Haddad
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Who is Ezzedin al-Haddad, known as the Ghost of al-Qassam, Hamas' third Gaza chief in seven months, Israel can now..
Ezzedin al-Haddad- File image Who is Ezzedin al-Haddad? Ezzedin al-Haddad, a 55 year old Hamas leader has emerged from the shadows to lead Hamas in Gaza, becoming its third chief in just seven turbulent months. With a $750,000 Israeli bounty on his head and a shattered militant network behind him, Haddad now carries the burden of reviving a crumbling empire amid relentless conflict. Here are all the details you need to know about Ezzedin al-Haddad, the third Gaza chief of Hamas in seven months time. Who is Ezzedin al-Haddad? Ezzedin al-Haddad is a military veteran who is known as the 'Ghost of al‑Qassam'. He has recently been named Hamas's third Gaza leader in just seven months. He took over as Hamas's Gaza leader after the Israeli strikes that killed Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar. Taking charge amid severe depletion of Hamas, Ezzedin al-Haddad is known for his role in the October 7 attacks. He is also known in the military circles for his policies of recruitment, and hostage oversight. Media reports have it that he brings a more pragmatic edge to command, managing negotiations even as he faces a $750,000 bounty and ongoing Israeli operations. In order to further intensify the attack on Gaza, Israel can now plan further attacks. Israel says it killed Palestinian Mujahideen Brigades chief in Gaza The Israeli military said that its forces had killed at least two senior members of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement in strikes in Gaza City, including a commander accused of involvement in the deadly October 7 attack on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that As'ad Abu Sharaiya, head of the Mujahideen Brigades — the armed wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement — was killed in a joint operation. They accused Abu Sharaiya of playing 'a key role' in the Hamas-led assault in 2023 and being 'directly involved in the abduction, detention, and killing of Israeli hostages.' (With inputs from agencies)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
The Ghost of al-Qassam: Who is Ezzedin al-Haddad? Meet Hamas' third Gaza chief in seven months
Gaza's war-scarred labyrinth has a new face of command. His name is Ezzedin al-Haddad—and most people have never heard of him. After more than 600 days of war, and the deaths of both Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas has quietly handed over its Gaza operations to a shadowy veteran commander known as The Ghost of al-Qassam. At 55, Ezzedin al-Haddad is no stranger to bloodshed, nor to survival. With a $750,000 Israeli bounty on his head and the weight of a crumbling militant empire on his shoulders, Haddad steps in as Hamas's third Gaza chief in just seven months. From the Tunnels to the Top An experienced field commander and tactician, Haddad played a key role in planning the devastating October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked the current war. According to Arab and Israeli officials, he has also overseen the recruitment of new fighters and taken personal responsibility for the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza—keeping photos of them on his phone, even engaging directly with some in captivity. But he didn't exactly rise to the top through a hotly contested election. The war has decimated Hamas's top ranks. Of the 18 senior figures on the group's military council before the war, only a few are thought to still be alive. Mohammed Sinwar, Haddad's immediate predecessor and Yahya's younger brother, was killed in May during an Israeli strike beneath Khan Younis's European Hospital. Haddad survived—and took over. A Ghost with a Memory and a Grudge Unlike the flamboyant Sinwar brothers, Haddad is known for his silence and shadowy demeanour. His nickname, The Ghost of al-Qassam, reflects a career defined by evasion and low visibility. He has survived several Israeli assassination attempts, but not without personal loss: both of his sons have been killed in the current conflict. A former hostage who met Haddad five times during captivity described him as calm, cold, and Hebrew-speaking. On one occasion, Haddad even ordered that a book left behind by a hostage be returned to him. But the ghost has moods too. In later meetings, he became harsher and more bitter—changes that coincided with the death of his son. A Diminished but Not Defeated Hamas While Israel claims to have killed up to 20,000 of Hamas's 35,000 fighters and destroyed most of its weapons stockpile, the group remains Gaza's dominant armed force. Its ranks have been replenished—at least numerically—with thousands of young recruits trained with little more than leaflets or crash courses in ambush tactics. Israeli and Arab intelligence sources estimate Hamas now commands around 25,000 fighters, though many are poorly trained and under-equipped. The group's financial reserves have also dwindled. Once flush with income from taxing aid and smuggling contraband, Hamas is reportedly struggling to pay its fighters. According to an internal document found by the Israeli military, Hamas reduced the share of aid diverted to its military wing from 25% in early 2024 to just 7% by April. Still, the organisation has retained one of its most potent strategic advantages: its underground network. Israeli military sources concede that as much as 75% of Hamas's tunnels remain intact. And as recent Israeli casualties show, the group is turning unexploded ordnance into makeshift bombs capable of ambushing even well-armoured patrols. A Fighter Willing to Talk? Despite his militant past, Haddad is reportedly more pragmatic than his predecessors. Arab intelligence officials say he pushed for the January 2024 hostage-prisoner swap and urged further releases to extend the ceasefire, which eventually broke down in March. He has also shown tentative openness to discussing the disarmament of Hamas—something the Sinwar brothers firmly rejected. But pragmatism has limits. Haddad still insists that no further hostages will be released without a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. His motivations, officials believe, are driven as much by strategic calculation as ideology: Hamas remains Gaza's only coherent armed authority, but it is bleeding fighters, funds, and territory. What Comes Next? Israel aims to control 75% of Gaza by late July. Its current strategy seeks to fragment Hamas's hold on the enclave by isolating population centres and targeting remaining leadership. But for every commander killed, another emerges. And while the group may now rely on improvised explosives rather than rockets, its capacity to inflict daily pain on Israeli forces persists. As Miri Eisin, former deputy head of Israeli combat intelligence, put it: 'They don't need tens of thousands of weapons. They just need to kill a soldier a day.' Whether Haddad can—or wants to—shift the trajectory of the war remains unclear. He is a commander forged in tunnels and blood, tempered by loss, and now facing a military juggernaut in a battle that seems increasingly existential. But so far, the Ghost has not disappeared.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Hamas names ‘Ghost of al-Qassam' as its new leader after Israel wiped out his two predecessors: report
Hamas has reportedly named a veteran terrorist known as the 'Ghost of al-Qassam' as its latest leader in Gaza — after his two predecessors were wiped out by Israel. Ezzedin al-Haddad, who helped plan the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, was recently handed control of Hamas' Gaza operations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing multiple sources. He is the group's third leader in just seven months after Israeli eliminated his two predecessors — Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar and then last month his brother Mohammed Sinwar who took the reins after him. Advertisement 3 Ezzedin al-Haddad, the commander of the northern Gaza brigade, and alleged replacement for Hamas military leader. Haddad, 55, previously oversaw the captivity of Israeli hostages and recruitment for Hamas' fighters. He got his nickname as the 'ghost' of the group's militant wing because of his low profile, according to the sources. Haddad, too, has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts throughout the war, they added. Advertisement 3 Yahya Sinwar, head of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He was killed in Gaza. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images His appointment comes just weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Mohammed Sinwar's death in an airstrike. His body was only retrieved from an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this week, the Israeli military said. 'Mohammad Sinwar was responsible for the deaths of countless civilians,' the IDF wrote on X. Advertisement 'He died the way he lived — underground.' 3 Palestinians (rear) stand behind armed fighters from Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades during the handover of three Israeli hostages to Red Cross representatives in Al Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip in February 2025. MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Mohammed had been the terror group's defacto leader ever since his older brother — who masterminded the Oct. 7 bloodshed — was killed in a routine raid late last year. Haddad, who has a $750,000 bounty on his head, is next on Israel's target list, according to to Defense Minister Israel Katz.
