The Times: The Ghost of Qassam… The last remaining Hamas commanders… Who is Ezzedine al Haddad?

The Times newspaper, published a report shedding light on the life of Hamas’s new commander, Ezzedine al Haddad (55), who currently serves as the commander of Hamas’s military wing following the assassination of Mohammed Sinwar.

The Times, reported that al Haddad was one of the few people who knew the secret behind the October 7, 2023 attack, and directly led the storming of the Nahal Oz base.

According to the same source, al Haddad survived a total of six assassination attempts, three of which occurred during the last war.

An Israeli force was also sent to assassinate him in the house where he was hiding, but he wasn’t there.

The Times adds that Ezzedine al Haddad rose through the ranks of Hamas after surviving assassination attempts.

He was reportedly tasked with rebuilding the Hamas movement’s civilian and military infrastructure during a brief lull in the war with Israel.

Among his other tasks was ensuring a smooth hostage handover.

The Times explains that Haddad’s rise didn’t stop there, as The Times reported that Ezzedine al Haddad took over leadership of Hamas’s military wing from Mohammed Sinwar, whose death was confirmed by the Israeli military.

According to the same source, al Haddad controls the group in Gaza, and intelligence sources said the man, known locally as “Abu Suhaib,” is holding Israeli hostages and has veto power over the ceasefire proposal presented by Washington’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Hamas announced its acceptance of the current agreement in principle, but over the weekend proposed a new timetable for the release of the hostages.

Witkoff denounced the move as “unacceptable” and deplored it as a step that “will only lead to regression”.

International mediators negotiating the ceasefire say that mourning is now the last obstacle to any deception, and is also Israel’s top demand.

Ezzedine Haddad survived assassination attempts on six separate occasions, starting in 2008.

Since the beginning of the war, Israel has tried to kill him three times, including sending forces to a house where he was supposed to be hiding, but he was nowhere to be found.

On October 7, he was tasked with coordinating the first infiltration into Israel, mobilizing the commanders under his command the night before the attack with a written document containing instructions for carrying out the operation.

The document identified three main objectives: mass kidnapping, live broadcasting, and the destruction of Israeli population centers.

In particular, Ezzedine al Haddad directed the takeover of the Nahal Oz military base, in which more than 60 Israeli soldiers were killed.

Ezzedine al Haddad, who previously had a $750,000 reward for information on his whereabouts, is known to be extremely cautious in his communications and largely avoids public appearances or the media.

The Times points out that al Haddad constantly changes locations and trusts only a few people outside his close circle.

The Times newspaper notes that al Haddad initially worked in internal security alongside Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attacks, pursuing Palestinians collaborating with Israel.

A regional security source said, “al Haddad is one of the last remaining and only commanders on the ground in Gaza, which means the pressure he is under is immense… If he doesn’t reach an agreement, he doesn’t want to go down in history as the last leader to rule Gaza after it was dismantled under Israeli control”.

“On the other hand, he has to prove his worthiness of leadership”.

Finally, if Hamas doesn’t agree to the agreement, Israel appears determined to consolidate its control over Gaza and will continue to eliminate senior Hamas leaders inside and outside Gaza.

Ezzedine al Haddad has the final say on a ceasefire from within Gaza, but the one leading the negotiations with the United States is a man named Mohammed Ismail Darwish, who has virtually replaced the previous chief negotiator, according to the same source.

Darwish, who was previously described by intelligence agents as “unknown,” was responsible for Hamas’s financial operations, generating funds and financial support.