Egypt Daily News – After the killing of the military wing leader of Hamas in Gaza, Mohammed Al-Sanwar, attention shifted to his successor, who is believed to be Ezzedine Al-Haddad, a 55-year-old man.
Known as Abu Suhaib
By the time of the hostage release in January, Al-Haddad had risen through Hamas ranks after surviving six assassination attempts. He was reportedly tasked with rebuilding its civilian and military infrastructure during a brief lull in the war with Israel, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Among his other duties was ensuring the smooth process of prisoner handover, according to reports at the time. Initially, he worked in internal security alongside Yahya Al-Sanwar in pursuing Palestinians cooperating with Israel.
Al-Haddad also controls the group in Gaza.
Intelligence sources confirmed that the man locally known as Abu Suhaib holds Israeli prisoners and has veto power over any ceasefire proposal, including one presented by former U.S. envoy Steve Wittkoff under President Donald Trump.
Coordinated the infiltration operation
On October 7, 2023, Al-Haddad was tasked with coordinating the first infiltration operation into Israeli territory, gathering the leaders under his command the night before to receive instructions for the attack.
He is known for extreme caution in his communications, avoiding public appearances or media, especially since there is a $750,000 bounty on his location.
Israeli intelligence reports that Al-Haddad constantly changes locations and trusts only a very few people outside his close circle.
One of the last field commanders
Al-Haddad lost his eldest son, Suhaib, and his grandson in an Israeli airstrike in January last year, and his second son in April this year. He is one of the last remaining and only field commanders in Gaza, which means he faces immense pressure.
On the other hand, he must prove his leadership skills, said a regional security source, adding that if Hamas does not agree to a deal, Israel seems determined to solidify its control over Gaza and continue eliminating senior Hamas leaders inside and outside Gaza.
Witkoff’s proposal
Hamas announced acceptance in principle of the current agreement presented by Witkoff but proposed over the weekend a new timetable for prisoner releases. Witkoff condemned this as “unacceptable.”
International mediators negotiating the ceasefire see Al-Haddad as the last obstacle to the truce.
Witkoff’s proposal included a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 Israeli live prisoners and 18 dead out of a total of 58 prisoners held by Hamas, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners including 125 serving life sentences and over 1,000 Gazans detained since the war began.
Israel has intensified operations inside Gaza since the collapse of the last ceasefire in March, refusing to enter discussions to end the war until Hamas is crushed.
