Last remaining Hamas senior commander resurfaces with hair job, hiding in tunnel

Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic language spokesperson, accused Haddad of trying to rewrite his image while hiding from the consequences of his actions.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israel on Thursday tweeted a photo of Izz ad-Din Haddad — the last senior Hamas commander from October 7 still alive — showing him in a drastically altered appearance while hiding in a tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis.

“The dramatic change in his facial features, as seen in the photo, reveals only one thing: deep fear and a desire to disguise himself and disappear,” tweeted Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic language spokesperson.

“While Hamas promotes the ‘hunger’ narrative to the world, it seems that Haddad remains safe from it, far from the hunger and suffering experienced by the residents of the Gaza Strip.”

Haddad, in his 50s, is now considered the head of Hamas’ military forces in Gaza following the assassination of Muhammad Sinwar. His gray hair is now dyed black and his beard trimmed into a goatee.

Adraee accused Haddad of trying to rewrite his image while hiding from the consequences of his actions.

“Did the shame and fear of the destruction that Hamas-ISIS left behind push him to change his face and disguise himself? He is trying to portray himself as a ‘hero’ in the eyes of the public, but what will the residents of Gaza, living in tents in the ruins of their homes, say when they see him hiding in tunnels, scared, changing his identity? Can someone who led the Strip to destruction, running away from responsibility and hiding, be called a hero?”

Haddad became Hamas’ most senior figure in Gaza following a series of targeted killings that decimated the group’s leadership.

At the start of the war, Haddad commanded the Gaza City Brigade and boasted to Al Jazeera of helping plan the October 7 attack. According to Israeli officials, he also personally held several hostages.

He was more recently tasked with rebuilding Hamas’s civilian governance and military capabilities, opening government offices, recruiting police volunteers, and managing the Netzarim corridor.

Israeli officials viewed Haddad as the successor to Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an airstrike in July.

Haddad is now thought to be involved in negotiations over hostages and their conditions.

At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.