GAZA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Seven Palestinians were killed and at least 50 others injured on Friday evening in Israeli strikes targeting a residential apartment and a vehicle in Gaza City, according to Palestinian medical sources.
The Israeli military said the strikes targeted Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a senior commander in the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV news quoted a senior security official as saying the strike was "successful," and al-Haddad was likely killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier in a joint statement that the Israeli military struck al-Haddad, claiming that he was one of the planners of the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Local sources and witnesses said Israeli warplanes fired at least three missiles at an apartment in the Al-Mu'taz building in western Gaza City, setting the apartment on fire.
Medics told Xinhua that emergency teams transferred bodies of four victims, including a woman and a child, and 44 injured people to the Al-Saraya Field Hospital run by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Separately, local sources said Israeli drones struck a vehicle traveling on Al-Wehda Street in central Gaza City, killing three people and injuring six others.
Al-Haddad, known by the nickname "Ghost of al-Qassam," is considered by Israel to be one of the most wanted figures. He has survived several previous assassination attempts, according to Israeli media. ■
