By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dawood Abu Alkas
Cairo/Gaza — Israel’s assassination of a senior Hamas commander threatens the viability of the ceasefire in Gaza, the chief negotiator of the militant group said on Sunday, calling on US President Donald Trump to demand Israel comply with the terms of the truce.
Thousands of Hamas supporters rallied in central Gaza City at a funeral for senior commander Raed Saed and three associates killed alongside him on Saturday. It was one of the group’s biggest displays of its presence since a US-backed ceasefire deal came into effect in Gaza in October.
In a televised address, Khalil al-Hayya, who lives in exile, confirmed the killing of Saed, the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since the truce.
“The continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement...and latest assassinations that targeted Saed and others threaten the viability of the agreement,” Hayya said.
“We call on mediators, and especially the main guarantor, the U.S. administration and President Donald Trump, to work on obliging Israel to respect the ceasefire and commit to it.”
Hamas sources have described Saed as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izzeldeen Al-Hadad.
Israel says Saed was one of the key architects of the October 7 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
Hamas has not identified an overall chief since Israel killed the group’s head, Yehya Al-Sinwar, in 2024. Instead, the group has since been led by a five-man high leadership council, of which Hayya is a member.
Since the ceasefire, Israeli forces remain in control of the depopulated eastern half of Gaza, while the militant group has reasserted its control over the western half, where nearly all of the enclave’s more than 2-million people live in the ruins.
The warring sides have yet to agree on next steps. Israel demands Hamas disarm and be barred from any future administration of Gaza. Hamas says it will not give up its arms and wants Israeli forces to withdraw fully.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.