Hamas Claims Senior Leader Survived Israeli Assassination Attempt

A senior Hamas official, Raazi Hamad, stated Sunday night that Ali al-A'wady, a prominent figure in the Gaza Strip often considered the successor to Yahya Sinwar, survived an Israeli assassination attempt over the weekend. "The reports reaching us confirm that Ali al-A'wady escaped the Israeli assassination attempt," Hamad told Saudi channel Al-Arabiya. Hamad accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement in Gaza by continuing its policy of assassinations, warning that these actions put the Gaza agreement at risk of collapse. He also placed responsibility on Washington, stating, "The US is responsible for saving the Gaza agreement and must pressure Israel to stop the assassinations."

The Israeli Air Force attacked a building in western Gaza City on Saturday in an attempt to eliminate al-A'wady. Palestinian reports at the time indicated five deaths and several injuries from the strike. Even shortly after the attack, Hamas sources cast doubt on whether al-A'wady had been killed.

Al-A'wady is a member of Hamas's political bureau and one of the organization's senior leaders remaining in the Strip. He was reportedly very close to Yahya Sinwar, having previously served as his office director. His standing has grown in recent years due to the elimination of many senior Hamas figures. He is currently competing for the leadership of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza against Nizar Awadallah.

Al-A'wady was arrested in Israel in 1994, sentenced to life imprisonment, and released in 2011 as part of the prisoner exchange deal that also freed Sinwar. Following the recent strike, the IDF described him as Sinwar's "right-hand man" and stated he was involved in planning the October 7th attack.