GAZA CITY — Israel said on Saturday it killed a senior Hamas commander in an air strike targeting a vehicle inside Gaza City, in what it described as a major blow to the group’s military capabilities.

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency said they had “eliminated” Raed Saad, the head of weapons production for Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades.

Saad was considered one of the most prominent Hamas military figures in Gaza and played a key role in overseeing weapons manufacturing and deployment.

According to Israel, Saad led several brigades during the Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities east of Gaza City on October 7, 2023, and was responsible for the deaths of many Israeli soldiers through the use of explosive devices during the war in Gaza.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence in Gaza said the strike killed four people. Spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the BBC that several passers-by were also wounded in the blast.

A local Hamas official said Saad’s aide and another lower-ranking official, identified as Abu Imad al-Laban, were among those killed.

Saad was believed to be a member of a newly formed five-member Hamas military leadership council established after a ceasefire took effect in October. Israeli officials said he had been the target of multiple assassination attempts over more than two decades.

One of the most significant attempts came in March 2024, when Israeli forces carried out a surprise operation in Gaza City aimed at arresting or killing him.

At the time, sources said Saad had been inside the targeted compound but escaped shortly before the raid.

Saturday’s strike took place on the Palestinian-controlled side of the so-called Yellow Line, which has divided Gaza since a fragile US-led ceasefire came into force on October 10.

Israeli forces currently control areas east of the line, accounting for just over half of the Gaza Strip.

The killing comes as attention shifts to the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for the region, which includes the disarmament of Hamas and a transitional governance arrangement for Gaza.

The plan envisages an international stabilisation force and, eventually, the return of control to a reformed Palestinian Authority, followed by an Israeli withdrawal.

The proposal remains controversial, particularly in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. Trump is expected to discuss the plan with Netanyahu during a meeting in Washington on December 29.

Since 2023, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations. — Agencies