Israel said to hope killing of Raed Saad doesn’t delay return of last hostage’s body

Israeli security sources reportedly expressed concern that the assassination of Hamas commander Raed Saad in Gaza on Saturday could further delay the return of the remains of the final hostage being held in the Strip, Ran Gvili.

Saad, a senior member in the terror group considered second only to its latest military chief, Izz al-Din Haddad, was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Saturday afternoon, in a move Israel asserted was a response to ceasefire violations.

Security officials cited by Ynet said that Israeli authorities were divided on whether to carry out the strike in part due to concerns over the return of Gvili.

According to the Axios news site, Israel did not give the US advance notice before carrying out the airstrike on Saad’s vehicle.

Ynet reported that Israeli officials are currently engaging with the US on how to convince mediators to press Hamas to still return Gvili’s remains before moving ahead to stage two of the ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire went into effect in October, Hamas has returned 27 of the 28 bodies it was still holding in Gaza, saying it has needed time to search the rubble for their remains. Israel has accused the terror group of intentionally dragging out the search.

Channel 12 news reported on Friday that Israel has provided mediators with a list of the names of Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives believed to have direct knowledge of the location of Gvili’s body. According to the report, Israel passed the mediators not only the names of the Islamic Jihad members, but also detailed maps tied to areas where Gvili is believed to be buried.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, the Shin Bet and the IDF have been trying to track and kill Saad for a long period, concerned about his efforts to rehabilitate the Hamas terror group.

The TV network reported Saturday that as soon as Saad was identified by Israeli intelligence getting into a vehicle in Gaza City, a plan to target him was quickly approved by authorities and rapidly carried out.

Ynet reported that Saad had rarely emerged aboveground since the start of the war, and Israeli officials jumped on the chance to assassinate him despite the ongoing ceasefire.

In a joint statement on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Saad was killed “in response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today in the Yellow Zone of the Gaza Strip.”

They added that the Hamas commander “had been engaged in restoring the terror organization and in planning and carrying out attacks against Israel, as well as rebuilding an attack force, in blatant violation of the ceasefire rules and Hamas’s commitments to respect President [Donald] Trump’s plan.”

Saad, head of Hamas’s weapons manufacturing headquarters and one of the architects of the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, was one of the few remaining members of Hamas’s top military brass in the Gaza Strip.

The strike hit a vehicle traveling along the coastal Rashid Road, on the Hamas-controlled side of the Gaza ceasefire line, according to Palestinian media, which reported four people killed and over 20 injured. According to reports, Saad was killed along with three of his bodyguards.

The IDF said that Saad “led Hamas’s force buildup, and his elimination constitutes a significant blow to the organization’s ability to rearm.” The military added that he was “directly responsible for violations of the ceasefire agreement by the Hamas terror organization,” including the ongoing production of weapons during the ceasefire.

The military said Saad held several senior roles in the terror group and was considered close to Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, assassinated in 2004; military chief Mohammed Deif, killed in July 2024; and deputy head of the military wing Marwan Issa, until his assassination in March 2024.

Saad established Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, commanded it, and was involved in forming the terror group’s naval force, according to the military. He was later appointed as chief of the terror group’s operations headquarters.

During the latter role, Saad was one of the architects of the terror group’s plan to invade Israel and defeat the IDF’s Gaza Division — codenamed “Jericho’s Walls” in the army — which was ultimately activated on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.

The IDF said Saad “participated in the shaping and construction” of the Jericho’s Walls plan, “upon which Hamas’s plans for the October 7 massacre were based.”

Saad survived several Israeli assassination attempts, the latest of which was carried out in June 2024. He was believed to be at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital when Israel raided the medical center in March that year, though he apparently managed to flee at the time.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.