Hamas Warns: Israeli’s Assassination of Commander Jeopardizes Gaza Ceasefire
Hamas warned on Sunday that Israel’s killing of a senior commander threatens the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, urging US President Donald Trump to press Israel to comply with the truce terms.
In a televised address, the group’s chief negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya confirmed the death of Raed Saed, a senior Hamas commander, describing the killing as the most significant assassination of a Hamas leader since the ceasefire began in October.
“The continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, including the assassination of Saed, threaten the agreement’s viability,” Al-Hayya said.
He added, “We call on mediators, especially the US administration and President Donald Trump, to oblige Israel to respect the ceasefire.”
Consequently, thousands of Hamas supporters gathered in central Gaza City for the funeral of the senior commander and three associates killed alongside him on Saturday. Mourners chanted “Martyrs are dear to God” and carried the bodies in coffins draped in green Hamas flags, marking one of the group’s largest public displays since the US-backed ceasefire took effect.
Leadership Changes in Hamas
Hamas sources describe Saed as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izzeldeen Al-Hadad, while Israel claims that Saed was a key architect of the 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
Hamas has not identified an overall chief since Israel killed the group’s head, Yehya Al-Sinwar, in 2024; alternatively, a five-man high leadership council, including Hayya, has led the group.
Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces control the depopulated eastern half of Gaza, while Hamas has reasserted control over the western half, where nearly all of the enclave’s more than 2 million people live in the ruins. However, the warring sides have yet to agree on next steps. Israel demands Hamas disarm and be barred from any future administration of Gaza, with Hamas saying it will not give up its arms and wants Israeli forces to withdraw fully.
International Stabilization Force
The ceasefire agreement calls for a UN-authorized International Stabilization Force (ISF) to help keep peace, with Al-Hayya urging that the proposed UN peacekeeping force should only monitor Gaza’s borders externally, not deploy inside the territory.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command will host a conference in Doha on 16 December with partner nations to plan the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, US officials told Reuters.
In a separate incident in central Gaza Strip, gunmen shot dead Ahmed Zamzam, a senior officer in a Hamas-run internal security service tasked with fighting collaboration with Israel, with the Gaza Interior Ministry describing the attackers as “collaborators acting upon Israeli orders” and said they detained one suspect.
