Israeli Media Reveals Why Al-Qassam's Top Commander Nicknamed 'the Phantom' Was Killed

Tel Aviv — The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has revealed details surrounding the assassination of the commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, Izzuddin Al-Haddad. The media described a ‘fatal mistake’ made by Al-Haddad as the main reason his traceability followed and killed by an Israeli air strike after months of intensive pursuit. According to the report, cited by Al Jazeera, on Thursday (21 May 2026), Al-Haddad’s decision to return to a secret family apartment became a turning point that enabled the Israel Defence Forces’ Israel Air Force to launch the operation that killed him. The operation also marked the end of the journey of one of the key planners of the 7 October attack, who was also said to have led efforts to rebuild the strength of the Al-Qassam Brigades during the war. Earlier Israeli sources described Al-Haddad as a ‘phantom’ who was hard to track. He had escaped assassination attempts several times despite being a target of pursuit even before the war broke out. However, one mistake that occurred last Friday was said to be enough to end his long flight. The newspaper quotes a major in the Israeli Operations Brigade, identified only by the initials ‘A’, who said that Israeli forces had actually come close to killing Al-Haddad on several occasions.