Yedioth Ahronoth: A Fatal Security Mistake Led Israel to Eliminate Al-Haddad

SadaNews - The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed details about the assassination of the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the Gaza Strip, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, confirming that a "serious mistake" was made which led to his elimination through an Israeli airstrike, after months of intensive pursuit.

According to the newspaper, al-Haddad's return to a hidden apartment belonging to his family was the crucial turning point that enabled the Israeli Air Force to carry out the assassination, bringing an end to the journey of one of the main planners of the October 7 attack, who also led efforts to rebuild the capabilities of Al-Qassam during the war.

Israeli sources had described al-Haddad as a "ghost" that was difficult to track, as he managed to evade targeting despite ongoing pursuit, even before the war broke out. However, one mistake that occurred last Friday was enough to end that chase.

The newspaper quoted an officer from the operations brigade, referred to by the letter "A" and holding the rank of captain, saying that Israeli forces were repeatedly close to eliminating al-Haddad, but he was "surrounded by hostages," which prevented targeting him earlier. He added that the pace of the pursuit increased after the release of Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip.

According to the account, the critical intelligence moment came on the day of the operation itself, when military intelligence (AMAN) and the Shabak security agency detected al-Haddad's movement to the hidden apartment. During this stage, intensive secret activities were carried out to ensure they monitored his stay inside the location until the strike was executed.

The same officer clarified that the forces had tracked his presence days before, and conducted accurate verification operations to confirm his identity without exposing the operation, then submitted a recommendation regarding him to the political level for approval.

He added, "We waited for the moment of his presence at the ideal point, and once approval was issued, it took only minutes for the planes to execute the strike." He indicated that a vehicle that left the location was targeted to ensure that none of his associates escaped.

Explaining the mechanism of tracking targets, a captain referred to as "L," who holds a leadership position in the fire control center at the southern command, stated that dozens of security entities participate in building the "intelligence picture" for each target, integrating information from the Shabak, AMAN, and various oversight bodies.

She explained that the main challenge was to accurately determine the timing of his presence and to execute an attack that achieves the objective while minimizing collateral damage.