Netanyahu, Katz say Raad Saad killed in response to explosion that lightly wounded two IDF reservists

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a joint statement say that top Hamas commander Raad Saad was killed in response to the injury of two troops by an explosive in southern Gaza today.

“In response to the activation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded our forces today in the Yellow Zone of the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the elimination of the terrorist Raad Saad,” the statement reads.

Netanyahu and Katz say that Saad “was one of the architects of the October 7 massacre and in recent days 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.”

“Instead of advancing disarmament, he was engaged in rearmament for acts of terror,” they say.

Netanyahu and Katz add that “anyone who raises a hand against Israel and harms IDF soldiers, his hand will be cut off in Gaza and anywhere else.”

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