Sinwars wiped out, Izz al-Din al-Haddad now new military chief of Hamas? Who is he?

Israel Defense Forces on Saturday (May 31) confirmed to have eliminated Hamas chief Mohammed Sinwar in an airstrike earlier in the month after assassinating his elder brother Yahya Sinwar in October 24.

The IDF has succeeded in eliminating successive heads of Hamas, inflicting a severe blow to the military command of the extremist group since assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in July 2024.

After the extermination of the Sinwar brothers, the man now emerging as the de facto military leader of Hamas in Gaza is Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who has an extensive background in military and intelligence operations.

Known by several aliases like “Abu Suhaib” and “the Ghost of the al-Qassam Brigades”, al-Haddad has succeeded in evading Israel’s most intensive manhunts and is now believed to hold authority over hostages, military operations, and key decisions on ceasefire negotiations.

Who is Izz al-Din al-Haddad?

Al-Haddad has risen in the Hamas ranks over a long time after having started as a company-level commander in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

He was then assigned charge of a battalion and, over time, commanded a total of six battalions and a special forces unit.

After the killing of Bassem Issa in 2021, al-Haddad was appointed commander of the Gaza Brigade, one of the most critical posts within the armed wing. In June 2024, he was reportedly designated as the overall commander for northern Gaza.

After the death of Yahya Sinwar, al-Haddad assumed responsibility for two major regional commands and 14 battalions and was sharing command of the Gaza Strip with Mohammed Sinwar.

Izz al-Din al-Haddad’s role in Oct 7 attacks

The night before the attack, al-Haddad reportedly convened a secret meeting with senior commanders where he distributed a document that outlined the mission’s core objectives: the mass abduction of Israeli soldiers to be transported into Gaza, real-time documentation of the assault and the capture of border-adjacent Israeli communities, says a Ynet News report.

In an interview to Al Jazeera, Al-Haddad defended Hamas’s actions on October 7 by claiming to have discovered Israeli military plans for a major Gaza operation.

How has al-Haddad survived Israeli attacks?

Al-Haddad has been a target of the Israeli military for a long time, but has survived at least six assassination attempts, with attacks dating back to 2008. Israeli airstrikes targeted his residence in 2008, 2012, 2021 and 2023.

Three more targeted operations have been attempted to eliminate him since the war began, but each time he managed to flee and evade death.

Intelligence sources say al-Haddad is very guarded about his whereabouts and movements, frequently shifts locations and maintains tight security protocols, relying only on a select few in his inner circle.

The extreme caution has helped him survive, even as Israel has placed a $750,000 bounty on information leading to his capture or death.

His eldest son, Suhaib, and grandson were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on January 17, 2025. In April 2025, his second son was also killed in an Israeli operation.

Reports say that the Sinwar brothers trusted al-Haddad following their years of collaboration in intelligence operations and armed strategy. The closeness he enjoyed with the Sinwar brothers positioned him as a natural successor once the IDF started eliminating senior Hamas figures.