A ceasefire exists on paper, yet military operations continue.
Em uma tarde de sexta-feira, Israel lançou um ataque aéreo contra um edifício residencial em Gaza, mirando Izz al-Din al-Haddad, o chefe militar do Hamas e suposto arquiteto do ataque de 7 de outubro — mesmo com um cessar-fogo oficialmente em vigor. O gesto revela uma contradição que persiste no coração do conflito: acordos existem no papel enquanto a violência continua no chão. A morte de uma mulher civil e o ferimento de outros seis recordam ao mundo que, entre a diplomacia e a paz real, há uma distância ainda por ser percorrida.
- Israel atacou um prédio residencial em al-Rimal, Gaza, visando o 'Fantasma de al-Qassam' — o mais alto comandante militar do Hamas ainda em atividade.
- Pelo menos uma mulher morreu e seis pessoas ficaram feridas, uma em estado crítico, no ataque que ocorreu durante um cessar-fogo supostamente vigente desde outubro.
- Desde o início da trégua, mais de 850 palestinos morreram em operações israelenses — um número que expõe o quanto o cessar-fogo é frágil e contestado na prática.
- O desarmamento do Hamas permanece o principal obstáculo para a retirada israelense completa de Gaza, com mediadores internacionais insistindo que a desmilitarização é condição inegociável.
- A morte de al-Haddad, se confirmada, aprofundaria o desmantelamento da liderança do Hamas, mas não resolve a contradição central: negociações avançam enquanto as armas permanecem e civis continuam morrendo.
Na tarde de sexta-feira, um ataque aéreo israelense atingiu um edifício residencial no bairro al-Rimal, próximo à Cidade de Gaza. O alvo era Izz al-Din al-Haddad, chefe das Brigadas Izz al-Din al-Qassam — ala militar do Hamas — e apontado por Israel como um dos arquitetos do ataque de 7 de outubro de 2023. Ao menos uma mulher morreu. Seis pessoas ficaram feridas, uma em estado crítico, segundo o diretor do Hospital Al-Shifa.
Conhecido nos círculos do Hamas como o 'Fantasma de al-Qassam' por seu perfil discreto, al-Haddad havia ascendido à liderança após Israel eliminar figuras como Yahya Sinwar, seu irmão Mohammed e Mohammed Deif. Autoridades israelenses afirmam que avaliações preliminares indicam que o ataque foi bem-sucedido, mas nem o Hamas nem observadores independentes confirmaram sua morte.
O ataque acontece sob a sombra de um cessar-fogo oficialmente mediado pelos Estados Unidos desde meados de outubro — mas que, na prática, pouco se sustenta. Segundo o Ministério da Saúde palestino, mais de 850 pessoas morreram em Gaza desde o início da trégua. Na quinta-feira, o funcionário da ONU Nickolay Mladenov admitiu que o cessar-fogo está 'longe de ser perfeito', embora tenha trazido 'estabilidade relativa'. Ele reiterou que o desarmamento do Hamas é condição essencial para a retirada israelense completa — uma exigência que, diante da recusa do grupo em depor as armas, parece distante de ser cumprida.
O que o ataque a al-Haddad torna visível é a contradição que define este momento: um cessar-fogo existe no papel, operações militares continuam no terreno, e civis pagam o preço de uma paz que ainda não chegou.
On Friday afternoon, an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the al-Rimal neighborhood near Gaza City. The target, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, was Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the military chief of Hamas and one of the architects of the October 7, 2023 attack that killed over a thousand Israelis. At least one woman died in the strike. Six others were wounded, one critically, according to the director of Al-Shifa Hospital.
Al-Haddad, known in Hamas circles as the "Ghost of al-Qassam" for his low profile, leads the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian organization. Israeli officials say he was also responsible for holding hostages taken during the October attack. They further accused him of refusing to implement a disarmament agreement brokered by the Trump administration—a plan that would have required Hamas to lay down weapons and allow Gaza to be demilitarized. An Israeli security official indicated that preliminary assessments suggest the strike succeeded in killing al-Haddad, though neither Hamas nor independent observers have confirmed his death.
The killing of al-Haddad, if confirmed, would mark another significant blow to Hamas's leadership structure. In recent years, Israel has eliminated Yahya Sinwar, his brother Mohammed Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif. With those figures gone, al-Haddad had risen to become one of the group's principal decision-makers. His death would further reshape the organization's command structure at a moment when its political and military capacity is already severely diminished.
The strike, however, occurs against the backdrop of what is officially described as a ceasefire. A truce has been nominally in effect since mid-October, brokered by the United States. Yet the reality on the ground tells a different story. Israel has conducted regular military operations throughout this period, claiming they target Hamas or what officials describe as imminent threats to Israeli forces occupying more than half of the devastated Gaza enclave. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli attacks have killed more than 850 people in Gaza since the ceasefire began—a figure that underscores how fragile and contested the truce actually is.
On Thursday, Nickolay Mladenov, a UN official overseeing implementation of the ceasefire agreement, acknowledged the tension. The truce, he said, was "far from perfect," though it had brought "relative stability." He emphasized that Hamas disarmament remains a major obstacle to progress. The plan, as he outlined it, is straightforward: Hamas must withdraw from governing Gaza, its weapons must be dismantled, and the enclave must be deradicalized. Mladenov tied Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza to Hamas's compliance with these terms—a condition that, given the organization's refusal to disarm, appears unlikely to be met in the near term.
The strike on al-Haddad illustrates the fundamental contradiction at the heart of the current situation. A ceasefire exists on paper, yet military operations continue. Negotiations over disarmament are ongoing, yet the weapons remain in place. The death of civilians in a residential neighborhood—a woman and five others wounded, one in critical condition—serves as a reminder that whatever diplomatic progress may have been achieved, the underlying conflict remains unresolved and deadly.
Notable Quotes
The ceasefire is far from perfect, though it has brought relative stability— Nickolay Mladenov, UN official overseeing ceasefire implementation
Hamas must withdraw from governing Gaza, its weapons must be dismantled, and the enclave must be deradicalized— Nickolay Mladenov, describing the disarmament plan
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Israel strike now, in the middle of a ceasefire that's supposed to be holding?
Because the ceasefire was never really a ceasefire in the traditional sense. It's more of a managed pause. Israel says it's targeting immediate threats to its forces still occupying Gaza. Hamas, for its part, hasn't disarmed. So both sides see themselves as justified in continuing operations.
And al-Haddad specifically—why him, why now?
He's become the most important military figure left in Hamas after the deaths of Sinwar and Deif. He's also the one refusing the disarmament deal. From Israel's perspective, he's the obstacle to the endgame they want: a demilitarized Gaza under new governance.
The civilians killed in the strike—does that change the calculation for either side?
It complicates things, but probably doesn't stop anything. One woman dead, six wounded. It's tragic, but in the context of 850 deaths since October, it's absorbed into the broader pattern. Both sides have learned to live with civilian casualties as part of the cost.
So what actually has to happen for this to become a real ceasefire?
Hamas would have to genuinely disarm. Israel would have to withdraw. A new civilian government would have to take over Gaza. None of those things are happening. The international mediators know it. They're managing expectations, calling it "relative stability" while the killing continues.
Is al-Haddad's death a turning point?
Only if it breaks Hamas's command structure so badly that they can't function. But they've survived worse. More likely, it's another step in a long attrition. The real turning point would come if one side decided to actually implement the disarmament plan. That doesn't seem to be on anyone's horizon.