A senior Hamas commander was targeted and killed in Gaza by an Israeli strike on a vehicle on Saturday. The Israeli military stated they had “struck a key Hamas terrorist” in Gaza City. Hamas-linked Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the BBC that four people died and several bystanders were injured by the blast.
Local sources identified the target as Raed Saad, a high-ranking leader within Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. Saad is believed to be part of a newly formed five-member military leadership council that was established after a ceasefire took hold in October. He has long been regarded as one of the Qassam Brigades’ most prominent commanders and led multiple brigades during Hamas’s October 7 assaults on Israeli communities east of Gaza City. Israel has attempted to eliminate him on several occasions, including a notable March 2024 operation in Gaza City when forces reportedly aimed to arrest or kill him; Saad reportedly escaped moments before the raid. He has been considered one of Israel’s most wanted Hamas figures for more than two decades.
The Saturday strike occurred on the Palestinian-controlled side of the Yellow Line, a boundary that has divided Gaza since an unstable US-led ceasefire began on October 10. Israeli forces control areas east of this line, which includes just over half of the Gaza Strip.
Separately, the discussion around President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan has persisted. The plan’s first phase called for the return of all 20 living and 28 dead hostages taken during Hamas’s assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and over 250 were taken hostage. While all hostages have been released or returned except for the remains of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer believed to have died fighting Hamas at Kibbutz Alumim, the Gaza conflict continues to cause heavy casualties. Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, reports that more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action to date.
The political spotlight is shifting toward the later stages of Trump’s plan, which envisions the disarmament of Hamas as part of a broader program of de-radicalisation and reconstruction for Gaza. The proposal outlines a temporary, technocratic Palestinian governance structure overseen by a Board of Peace chaired by Trump, with security provided by an International Stabilisation Force—though the composition of that force remains undefined. The ultimate goal is for a reformed Palestinian Authority to assume control of the territory and for Israeli forces to withdraw, paving the way for a potential pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. Many of these elements are contentious inside Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly opposed calls for a Palestinian state. Trump is scheduled to discuss the plan with Netanyahu in the United States on December 29.
If you’d like, I can adjust the tone further (more neutral, more opinionated, or more explanatory) or add context on how different stakeholders view these proposals.
