Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the Israeli armed forces have already managed to kill almost all the masterminds of the October 7 attack, which was carried out by the Palestinian militant movement Hamas. He made this statement a day after the death of the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the commander of the movement’s military wing, Izzaddin Haddad. TASR informs about it with reference to the AFP agency.
“I promised that every single one of those behind this massacre and hostage-taking will be neutralized to the last, and we are very close to accomplishing that goal,” he declared, calling Haddad a “disgusting terrorist”.
Israel has launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and captured more than 200 others. At the same time, its intelligence and military units focused on the leaders of the movement and the masterminds of the October 7 massacres.
Israel gradually succeeded in killing the main leaders of Hamas and their successors. Back in July 2024, they killed the long-time commander of the Izzadín Brigades, Kasám Muhammad Dajf. In the same month, the head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and a few months later, his successor, Yahya Sinwar, also became a victim of Israeli attacks. Sinwar’s brother Muhammad, who succeeded him as the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was killed by Israel in May 2025. His successor, Haddad, was killed by Israel in an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday.
Netanyahu also said in his statement on Sunday that Israeli forces control 60 percent of the Gaza Strip. “We have Hamas under control. We know exactly what our role is. It is to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” emphasized the prime minister.
His statement according to AFP shows that the Israeli military is expanding its operational presence in Gaza following recent media reports that Israeli troops have advanced towards the newly marked “Orange Line”.
However, under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which has been in effect since October 10, Israeli forces were to withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” in Gaza, leaving them in control of 53 percent of the Palestinian territory.
