Israel’s sweeping campaign of targeted assassinations has decimated Hamas’ senior ranks, most recently with its dramatic strike in Doha under Operation Summit of Fire. Yet even as the group reels, one figure remains in Gaza: Az al-Din Haddad, a 55-year-old veteran commander now seen as the last of Hamas’ founding generation still alive in the Strip.

Haddad, once the commander of Hamas’ northern Gaza division, rose to prominence after the killing of Mohammed Sinwar in May. With Sinwar’s death, Israeli intelligence assessed Haddad as his successor at the helm of Hamas’ armed forces. Unlike his predecessor, who took an uncompromising hardline against any partial or full deal under Israeli terms, Haddad was once thought to show flashes of pragmatism, more attuned to the suffering of Gaza’s population.

Still, the broader picture underscores Israel’s dilemma: every time one leader is eliminated, another rises to fill the vacuum. From Yahya Sinwar to Mohammed Sinwar, and now to Haddad, the cycle has become a deadly game of whack-a-mole. Each strike cripples Hamas’ command-and-control structure temporarily, but the terrorists have proven remarkably adept at regenerating leadership and sustaining the fight.

Haddad has already demonstrated his ability to maintain the group’s cohesion, spearheading the rebuilding of Hamas’ tunnel network in western Gaza and serving as a central point of contact for field commanders. Should Israel attempt to eliminate him as well, it risks fragmenting the group further—potentially making it harder to locate hostages or negotiate a centralized ceasefire.

For now, Haddad remains the last top commander standing in Gaza. But Israel’s experience shows that removing one head of the hydra does not end the threat; another almost always emerges from the shadows.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)