OAN Staff Blake Wolf
4:12 PM – Sunday, December 14, 2025
Hamas confirmed the death of Raed Saad, a senior commander who was killed by an Israeli explosive device, as the two sides approach phase two of the fragile ceasefire.
Saad was a senior commander in Hamas’ armed Qassam Brigades, prompting Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya to condemn the strike amid the ongoing ceasefire.
“The continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement… and latest assassinations that targeted Saad and others threaten the viability of the agreement,” Hayya stated on Sunday.
“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,” he added.
The Qassam Brigades also announced that the group has chosen a replacement for Saad, without disclosing the individual’s name, while noting that Saad’s assassination would not shake the terror group from engaging in the “path of Jihad.”
Meanwhile, Israel described Saad as one of the chief architects of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack, prompting the war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he had personally ordered the strike alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz.
An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) official defended the attack, saying it does not violate the ceasefire because the military is permitted to strike targets actively involved in terrorism under the peace agreement.
“Hamas has been blatantly violating the ceasefire agreement and is failing to uphold its obligations,” the IDF official stated. “Day after day, Hamas terrorists breach the ceasefire agreement, crossing the yellow line, threatening the lives of IDF soldiers operating in the authorized areas, and moreover undermining the ongoing efforts to maintain stability.”
Additionally, Hayya signaled that Hamas will not disarm, which is an essential part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement, arguing that the group’s right to bear arms is “a right guaranteed by international law.”
Hayya also expressed issues with the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is a multinational United Nations-mandated group tasked with overseeing the demilitarization of Gaza, ensuring border security, and law enforcement training.
The ISF is set to serve an integral role in phase two of the ceasefire agreement, although it has yet to be established.
Hayya argued that the ISF’s mission should center around “maintaining the ceasefire and separating the parties along the Gaza Strip’s border,” rather than having a major presence inside Gaza.
“We affirm that the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed under international law to all nations under occupation,” Hayya stated. “We are open to studying any proposals to preserve this right while guaranteeing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and self-determination for our Palestinian nation.”
Hamas signaling its unwillingness to give up arms could threaten the ceasefire, as Israel remains committed to the demand of Hamas to disarm.
In October, President Trump proclaimed that the terror group could either voluntarily disarm or “we will disarm them.”
“They said they were going to disarm, and if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them. And it will happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump stated at the time.
Phase two of the Gaza ceasefire deal is expected to begin shortly after the remains of Israeli Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili has returned, as he is the last deceased hostage to remain in the enclave.
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