Ra'ad Sa'ad | |
|---|---|
رائد سعد | |
.png) Portrait of Sa'ad | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1972 (1972) |
| Died | (aged 53) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Hamas |
| Commands | Al-Qassam Brigades |
| Conflict | |
Ra'ad Sa'ad (Arabic:رائد سعد; 1972 – 13 December 2025) was a Palestinian militant and senior commander in theAl-Qassam Brigades, the military wing ofHamas. Sa'ad joined Hamas in 2005, where he helped to develop the group's military strategy. While removed from his position as head of operations in 2021, Sa'ad was a major contributor to the initial attacks that lead to theGaza war. After an initial failed assassination attempt in 2024, Israel forces killed Sa'ad in a drone strike the following year.
Sa'ad was born in 1972, and joined Hamas in 2005. He participated in theFirst andSecond Intifadas, and was imprisoned by both Israel and thePalestinian Authority.[1] He was appointed the commander of Hamas'sGaza City brigade in 2005. He was responsible for arms manufacturing and building Hamas's rocket arsenal.[2][3]
He founded the group's "military academy", and helped develop its military strategy, such as cross-border attacks, artillery usage, andurban warfare.[3] He developed the"Jericho Wall" invasion plan of Israel in response to the construction ofan underground barrier on the Gaza border, which intended to deploy almost all of Hamas's 40,000 fighters, although it was dismissed by Hamas as unrealistic.[4][5]
Prior to the outbreak of theGaza war, Sa'ad was a political rival to Hamas leaderYahya Sinwar. He backedNizar Awadallah against Sinwar during the 2021 Gaza political bureau elections, which Awadallah narrowly lost. During the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Sa'ad was removed as Hamas's head of operations due to his perceived poor performance, and he was replaced byMohammed Sinwar.[3]
Sa'ad was a part of the "inner circle" of Hamas leaders who planned theOctober 7 attacks, which led to the outbreak of the Gaza war. At the beginning of the war, he was widely identified as No. 4 in the Hamas military hierarchy followingMohammed Deif,Marwan Issa, and Yahya Sinwar.[6] By December 2025, he became Hamas's de facto chief of staff after much of its leadership was killed by Israel, with Israeli intelligence officials considering him the second-most senior Hamas military official.[7] He played a large role in developing and adapting to military strategies and doctrines, such asguerrilla warfare, and was also responsible for replacing slain brigade commanders and training their replacements. He was close to Hamas military leaderIzz al-Din al-Haddad, who he assisted in directing daily military operations.[3]
On 22 June 2024, theIsraeli Air Force executed a major airstrike onAl‑Shati refugee camp, Gaza City, targeting Sa'ad. At least 42 people were reportedly killed by Israeli attacks in the city.[8] No immediate confirmation of Sa'ad's status emerged. Multiple initial reports suggested he was likely killed,[9][10] but it was later reported that he survived.[3]
On 13 December 2025, at 2:49 pm, an Israeli drone strike targeted Sa'ad's car while he was driving on the Al-Rashid road, west of Gaza City, killing five people and injuring at least 25 others, including civilians.[11][12][13] Three Hamas members were killed alongside Sa'ad,[14] including his aide and a low-ranking Hamas official.[15]The Jerusalem Post reported that Sa'ad was targeted around an hour after he emerged from atunnel, in which he had operated for months.[16] The IDF later confirmed his death, saying that he "led Hamas's force buildup" and that his death would significantly hinder the group's efforts to rearm.[17] Israeli prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu and Defense MinisterIsrael Katz called Sa'ad an architect of the 7 October attacks, and said that his killing was in response to an earlier explosion in southern Gaza that injured two IDF soldiers.[17] On 14 December 2025, Hamas confirmed his death. It also said that he was killed "alongside his brothers who were with him.”[18]
Axios reported that the strike angered US officials, and that the US privately informed Netanyahu that it viewed the killing as a violation of theceasefire agreement in Gaza.[19]
... his elimination constitutes a significant blow to the organization's ability to rearm.
