The assassination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the recently appointed head of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has sent shockwaves through the region. While the killing is undoubtedly a symbolic blow to the Palestinian group, the impact on its military operations is far from certain. The decentralized nature of Hamas, built to withstand such shocks, may be the key to understanding the group's resilience.
Al-Haddad's death, along with the killing of seven other Palestinians, including women and children, in a sophisticated dual-strike on a residential apartment in Gaza City’s Remal neighbourhood, has raised critical questions about the future of the fragile “ceasefire” and who remains to lead the Qassam Brigades. Despite Israeli claims that the killing will cripple the group’s operational capacity, analysts argue that Hamas's decentralized structure is built to absorb such shocks.
Saeed Ziad, a Palestinian political analyst, told Al Jazeera that the loss is a “massive symbolic and moral blow” to Palestinians, but the immediate operational impact on Hamas’s armed wing will be limited. “The Qassam Brigades are not built on a hierarchical, sequential structure, but a parallel one,” Ziad explained. “Over the past two decades, Hamas has transitioned into a decentralized guerrilla force. Units operate as isolated, self-sufficient groups with their own logistical supply lines and combat doctrines.”
Ziad added that if a brigade or battalion loses its commander, the group already knows its mission and has the resources to execute it independently. Reorganizing the Qassam Brigades’ central command to cope with the loss will likely take mere days, not months. Furthermore, al-Haddad had successfully utilized the October ceasefire with Israel to rebuild the group’s infrastructure.
The question of who remains in the Hamas military leadership is also a critical one. Israeli officials have boasted that they are close to dismantling Hamas’s central command, claiming that only two members of the military council before the pre-October 2023 attacks on Israel – Mohammed Owda and Imad Aqel – are alive. However, analysts point out that Hamas’s military wing, which boasted roughly 50,000 fighters before the war, possesses a deep bench of cadres and a strict protocol for leadership succession that enables it to quickly recover when commanders are killed.
Hamas immediately confirmed Haddad’s death, with spokesperson Hazem Qassem officially mourning him as the “General Commander” of the Qassam Brigades. He stressed that despite his death being a “massive loss”, the group’s “long journey of resistance continues”.
Al-Haddad's ability to survive multiple assassination attempts, including bombings of his home in 2009, 2012, 2021, and three separate times during the current genocidal war on Gaza, earned him the moniker “Ghost”. He played a foundational role in establishing al-Majd – Hamas’s internal security apparatus designed to track down Israeli intelligence collaborators. But it was his ability to survive multiple assassination attempts that earned him the moniker “Ghost”.
Al-Haddad left an indelible strategic mark on the movement as a primary architect of the October 7, 2023 attacks. He personally oversaw the breach of the eastern fence, directed elite units that stormed the Re’im military base and the Fajja outpost. According to intelligence reports, it was al-Haddad who handed localized commanders a paper hours before the attack detailing the operation and ordering the capture of Israeli soldiers.
The assassination of al-Haddad raises a deeper question about the future of the fragile “ceasefire” and who remains to lead the Qassam Brigades. With Netanyahu lacking a definitive strategic victory, such as the total surrender of Hamas, Ziad said the Israeli leadership is now leaning heavily on a “philosophy of assassinations” to project a “picture of victory” to its domestic base.
However, history has shown that killings of leading military figures, such as al-Haddad, rarely have a significant long-term impact on armed Palestinian movements like Hamas. “For the fighters and the society in Gaza, these killings create a blood covenant,” Ziad said. “It hardens their resolve. Retreating after the loss of leaders like Deif, Sinwar, or Haddad is viewed as a betrayal of that blood.”
In conclusion, the assassination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad has undoubtedly dealt a symbolic blow to Hamas, but the impact on its military operations is far from certain. The decentralized nature of Hamas, built to withstand such shocks, may be the key to understanding the group's resilience. The question of who remains in the Hamas military leadership is also a critical one, and the group's ability to quickly recover from the loss of a key commander will be a key factor in determining the future of the fragile “ceasefire”. The Israeli leadership's reliance on a “philosophy of assassinations” to project a “picture of victory” to its domestic base is also a significant development to watch.
