FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Untraceable even for Doha's mediators. He is hiding in the ruins of Gaza...
For Hamas militants, he has always been a “ghost.” An invisible commander whose whereabouts no one knows. That’s also why, despite a $750,000 bounty, he survived at least five or six Israeli attempts to eliminate him. But now, the lack of reach of Ezzedine al-Haddad, the new Hamas leader in the Strip under the nom de guerre “Abu Suhaib,” is becoming a paradox. Especially for his enemy.
Having eliminated all of its predecessors, Israel finds itself facing an elusive shadow. A shadow that, despite its undeniable military credentials, struggles to display equivalent political charisma.
Especially when it comes to making important negotiating decisions. This is a significant limitation that forces Hamas to coordinate its decisions with Islamic Jihad and other armed groups responsible for managing the hostages.
This is also why, since the deaths of Ismail Haniyeh and the two Sinwar brothers, the helm has been in his hands, the negotiations seem to have been constantly compromised by unacceptable conditions and slow decision-making.
Or even from the inability of Qatari intermediaries to communicate with the "ghost".
This is also a major problem for Khalil al-Hayya, the Hamas official in Doha tasked with cooperating with him as al-Haddad appears to have little interest in negotiations.
His career as a fundamentalist militant and terrorist began in 1987. At the time, Hamas was still a fledgling organization, and he was only a teenager. But even then, he demonstrated an innate ability to fight and survive. Thanks to these two qualities, he rose through the ranks of the group’s military and became an influential and ruthless commander. It was no coincidence that he found himself leading Al Majid, the “internal security” unit tasked with identifying Israeli spies and collaborators. But the importance of his role only became apparent after October 7, when Shin Bet investigators discovered that six brigades and a special unit tasked with attacking settlements around the Strip were operating under his command. That day, he recommended filming and broadcasting live the capture of the settlements and the return to Gaza, taking as many hostages as possible.
"Believe in God, fight bravely, act with a clear conscience, and let the cries of Allahu Akbar be the glory," Al Haddad urged before the attack. After this discovery, Israel intensified its efforts to eliminate him. But without success. In December 2023, the "ghost" disappeared from a shelter in the Tuffah neighborhood shortly before the Israeli army arrived. In February 2024, he survived the bombing that fell on his shelter in the Tel al Hawa neighborhood. Meanwhile, his fame continued to grow. And Al Haddad encouraged him by giving an interview to Al Jazeera in which he gave previously unpublished details of the October 7 attacks.
His appointment as Hamas' undisputed leader in the Strip follows the assassinations of Mohammed Deif, the historically elusive leader of the military wing, and those of brothers Yahya and Mohammad Sinwar. But in the meantime, his reign has become increasingly limited. To resist an Israeli army that controlled 75 percent of the Strip, al-Haddad reportedly chose to hide in the rubble of Gaza.
A desert of ruins and a labyrinth of unexplored tunnels where he moves with his usual caution, given his past as commander of the Brigade operating in the city. A desert where he pulled the last hostages, but from where he is increasingly rarely able to raise his head. /Adapted from Pamphlet by Il Giornale/
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