Hamas says the killing of a senior commander by Israel jeopardizes the ceasefire in Gaza and urges the United States to press Israel to honor the truce terms. The statement came as thousands of Hamas supporters filled the streets of Gaza City for the funeral of Raed Saed, a longtime Hamas commander, and three aides who were shot the day before in an Israeli strike. The display underscored Hamas’s resolve and the scale of its leadership’s visibility since the October ceasefire deal that has shaped the current calm.
During a televised address, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official living in exile, confirmed Saed’s death and stressed that the latest Israeli actions—alongside other targeted killings—threaten the fragile ceasefire. Hayya called on mediators, particularly the United States, to hold Israel to its commitments and to enforce the agreement.
Hamas officials have long described Saed as the second in command within the group’s armed wing, following Izzeldeen Al-Hadad. Israel has characterized Saed as a principal planner behind the October 7, 2023 attack that precipitated the conflict. Since the 2024 elimination of Hamas’s top leader Yehya Al-Sinwar, the group has operated under a five-member leadership council that includes Hayya.
Even after the ceasefire took hold, Israeli forces retain control of Gaza’s largely depopulated eastern half, while Hamas has reasserted influence in the western half where most of the enclave’s roughly two million residents live amid extensive devastation. The two sides still dispute the path forward: Israel demands disarmament and a permanent end to Hamas’s governing role in Gaza; Hamas insists on retaining its weapons and seeks Israel’s full withdrawal.
The ceasefire framework envisions a U.N.-mandated International Stabilization Force to monitor and maintain security. Hamas’s leadership argues that this force should operate only to separate the two sides at Gaza’s border, not to administer the territory. In Doha, a U.S.-led planning conference is set for December 16 with allied nations to organize this stabilization effort for Gaza, according to U.S. officials.
In a related incident in central Gaza, gunmen reportedly killed Ahmed Zamzam, a senior figure in Hamas’s internal security service focused on countering collaboration with Israel. Gaza’s Interior Ministry labeled the attackers as collaborators acting under Israeli orders and said one suspect was detained. Reuters has not independently verified the claim; the Israeli military has not commented.
Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din, Muhammad Al Gebaly, and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Peter Graff
Note: This summary reflects ongoing developments in the Gaza-Israel context and the ceasefire dynamics, including leadership transitions, security concerns, and international mediation efforts.
