Netanyahu confirms the killing of a Hamas commander in Gaza: He planned attacks and recruited militants

Izz al-Din al-Baq, head of Hamas’s armed wing in the northern Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military had struck Beq, whom they accuse of playing a role in organizing attacks and recruiting militants.

His death was confirmed by medical sources and Hamas representatives. According to them, the strike took place at a building complex in the Nasr neighborhood of Gaza City, where another person was also killed, according to health authorities.

Israel claims that Hamas is rebuilding its military capabilities and carrying out attacks in violation of the ceasefire agreed in October last year. For this reason, the Israeli military has intensified strikes against the group in recent weeks and says it has killed at least 20 Hamas members this month alone. According to the military, they included senior commanders, people involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks, and individuals who had taken Israeli hostages.

Hamas has rejected these accusations, denying both the attacks and the rebuilding of its arsenal. The group accuses Israel of violating the agreement reached for Gaza.

The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States last year, also provides for the reconstruction of the area. However, the process has made little progress because the negotiating parties have failed to reach common ground on Hamas’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, Israeli bombardments of Gaza continue. According to Palestinian health officials, at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect, while the Israeli military reports that four of its soldiers have died. Palestinian authorities also say that more than 73,000 people have been killed during Israel’s operation in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s attack in southern Israel in October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed.