Israel Close to Killing All Planners of October 7 Attack, Says Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israel was nearing completion of one of its central war aims in Gaza — eliminating those behind the October 7 attacks.

His comments came after the Israeli military announced that Ezzedine Al-Haddad, a commander in Hamas’s armed wing, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Friday. After the October 7 assault, Netanyahu had vowed to pursue and eliminate all those responsible for planning the attacks, which killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

“I promised that every architect of the massacre and hostage-taking would be eliminated, and we are very close to fulfilling that promise,” Netanyahu said during the weekly cabinet meeting, describing Haddad as a “despicable terrorist.”

Since the war began, Israel’s military and intelligence agencies have carried out operations targeting Hamas’s senior political and military leadership in Gaza and across the region. Israel has said it killed several key Hamas leaders during the conflict, including former political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Israeli forces also killed Yahya Sinwar, widely seen as one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack. Mohammed Deif, the longtime commander of Hamas’s armed wing and another alleged planner of the assault, was also killed during the war.

Israeli strikes have additionally targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon and senior commanders of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, including former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Netanyahu said Israeli troops now control around 60 percent of Gaza, indicating that military operations have continued to expand despite the ceasefire.

Recent reports suggest Israeli forces have advanced toward a newly designated “Orange Line.” Under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, Israeli troops were expected to withdraw to a “Yellow Line,” leaving them in control of more than half of Gaza.

“We have Hamas in our grip. Our mission is clear — to ensure Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said. According to Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, at least 72,763 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, most of them civilians.

Although a ceasefire remains in place, violence has continued, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the truce. The Gaza health ministry says at least 871 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, while the Israeli military says five Israeli soldiers have died during the same period.