Izz al-Din al-Haddad | |
|---|---|
عز الدين الحداد | |
| 4th Leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip | |
| Assumed office 13 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Sinwar |
| 8th Commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades | |
| Assumed office 13 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Sinwar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Izz ad-Din al-Haddad 1970 (age 55–56) |
| Residence(s) | Gaza Strip,Palestine |
| Nickname(s) | Abu Suhaib (kunya) The Ghost of the Gaza Strip[1] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Hamas |
| Branch | Al-Qassam Brigades |
| Years of service | 1987–present |
| Rank | Commander |
| Battles/wars | |
Izz al-Din al-Haddad (Arabic:عز الدين الحداد,romanized: ʻIzz al-Dīn al-Ḥaddād, born 1970), also known by hisnom de guerreAbu Suhaib (Arabic:أبو صهيب), is a Palestinian politician and militant who has served as the leader andcommander of the Al-Qassam Brigades since May 2025. He has also served as the fourthHamas leader in the Gaza Strip since May 2025. He held both positions following the assassination of his predecessor,Mohammed Sinwar.[2] He also co-currently[clarification needed] serves as the head of the Gaza Brigade and oversees the northern sector of theGaza Strip.
Al-Haddad is a member of Hamas's General Military Council and has been instrumental in planning and executing the group's operations.[3] He is known as the "Ghost of al-Qassam" in Gaza.[3]
Al-Haddad joinedHamas at a young age, aligning with the movement since its inception in 1987. He began his career as an operative in the Gaza Brigade and rose through the ranks to become a platoon commander, then a battalion commander, eventually leading the brigade itself.[4]
Al-Haddad assumed control ofAl-Qassam Brigades'Gaza City brigade during the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, after the assassination of his predecessor, Bassem Issa.[1][5] In November 2023, he took command of Hamas's northern Gaza brigade,[2] and became the overall commander of northern Gaza by June 2024. He had commanded at least six battalions and a special forces unit.[1]
Al-Haddad also had a senior role in Hamas'sinternal security unit, Al-Majd, which engaged in efforts to uncover spies and collaborators with Israel.[6] He was close to Hamas leaderYahya Sinwar, and the pair are thought to have discussed internal security andcounterintelligence operations.[1]
Al-Haddad is known for his operational secrecy and rarely appears in public, earning him the nickname the "Ghost of al-Qassam".[6] However, in May 2022, he was seen in a video threatening Israel, and in January 2025, he gave an interview toAl Jazeera, discussing his role in planning the October 7 attack.[7]
On 6 October 2023, al-Haddad convened his battalion commanders and distributed written orders for the planned attack on Israel, later known asOperation Al-Aqsa Flood. The orders emphasized the importance of abducting Israeli soldiers and transporting them into Gaza,[1] as well as "live broadcasting and the takedown of Israeli communities".[8] The following day,Hamas launched a surprise attack, resulting in significant casualties and the abduction of Israeli civilians and soldiers. During the attacks, al-Haddad managed the initial incursion into Israeli territory. His instructions led to some of the deadliest attacks during the incursion, particularly theNahal Oz attack.[9][8]
In November 2023, Israeli authorities offered US$750,000 for information on al-Haddad leading to his capture or death.[1]
During theGaza war, al-Haddad oversaw efforts to reconstruct infrastructure during ceasefires. He also oversaw handovers of Israeli hostages.[8]
Following thekilling of Yahya Sinwar,The Wall Street Journal reported that al-Haddad took command of two regional commands and 14 battalions, practically sharing control of Hamas withMohammed Sinwar.[1] In 2025, he helped push Mohammed Sinwar to accept theGaza war ceasefire with Israel, and tried to convince him to release additional hostages before the ceasefire collapsed in March.[10]
A former Israeli hostage toldThe Wall Street Journal that they had met al-Haddad five times, and occasionally slept in the same apartment as him. The former hostage said that during their initial encounter in March 2024, al-Haddad insisted on speaking to hostages inHebrew and asked them if they had any needs. He once insisted his fighters recover a book that the hostage had left behind. The hostage said that al-Haddad's demeanor had become "more negative" during a later meeting in January 2025. The meeting took place shortly after his son was killed in an airstrike that month.[10]
In December 2025,Eitan Mor told Israeli newspaperMakor Rishon that shortly he was taken hostage by Hamas during theNova music festival massacre, al-Haddad met him and told Mor in Hebrew that he would be released in two weeks. Al-Haddad met with Mor several other times before his release in October 2025.[11]
In a January 2026 interview withChannel 12,Romi Gonen recounted speaking to al-Haddad over a landline phone during the end of theNovember 2023 ceasefire in Gaza. Al-Haddad told her that she would be prioritized for release as long as she did not tell anyone that her captorssexually assaulted her. Later, she and fellow hostageEmily Damari were taken to al-Haddad's tunnel in eastern Gaza City, where they wereused as human shields for 35 days. During Gonen's release on 19 January 2025, al-Haddad approached the vehicle she was in and asked her "Do you remember our promise? Here, you're going out first … Do you remember your promise to me? I hope you fulfill it." Gonen told him "I'll fulfill the promise", before she was driven to be handed off to theRed Cross.[12][13]
In May 2025, al-Haddad became Hamas's leader after Mohammed Sinwar was assassinated inan Israeli airstrike.[6]
As of May 2025[update], al-Haddad continues to lead Hamas's military wing's operations in the northernGaza Strip and is involved in rebuilding the group's capabilities following significant losses during the ongoing conflict.[14] As the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, he has veto power over any ceasefire or hostage deal in the Gaza war.[2] According to Arab officials, he is more open to hostage deals and Israeli demands for Hamas to disarm, but believes that all of the hostages should not be released until the end of the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.[10][6]
According to a Middle Eastern official, al-Haddad views theChechen fight against Russia during theFirst Chechen War as a model that Hamas should follow in Gaza.[15]
He opposed theGaza war peace plan in October 2025, seeing it as "designed to finish Hamas".[16]
Al-Haddad has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts, reportedly six,[2] and is considered one of the most wantedHamas commanders byIsrael. He ranks first on Israel's most-wanted list ofal-Qassam leaders, after the deaths ofMarwan Issa, Mohammed Sinwar, andRa'ad Sa'ad.[4]
Al-Haddad's eldest son and grandson were killed in an airstrike in Gaza City on 17 January 2025.[10] His second son was killed in an airstrike later in April of the same year.[8][1]