Israeli Military Sources: Hamas's Relative Silence After the Assassination of Raed Saad Is Unsettling

The Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" quoted Israeli military sources as saying that the relative silence of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding the assassination of leader Raed Saad is not considered a positive indicator. The Israeli newspaper, citing the sources, stated that the movement will "patiently" wait for an operational gap that allows it to target an area close to Israeli army forces or to ambush them. The sources added that incidents similar to what happened in the Al-Daraj and Al-Tuffah neighborhoods in Gaza are documented in detail and reach Washington and Doha, with "harsh" documentation that sometimes condemns U.S. President Donald Trump himself, according to the report. On December 13, the Israeli occupation army announced the assassination of Raed Saad by targeting a civilian car on the coastal road southwest of Gaza City, and published a video clip of the moment the car was struck near the Nablus roundabout on Al-Rashid coastal street, which was carrying the Qassam leader. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that they ordered the assassination of the Qassam leader "in response to the breach of the ceasefire agreement by detonating an explosive device against an army force." With the assassination of Raed Saad, Israel succeeded in reaching him after more than 35 years of pursuit, during which he was subjected to many assassination attempts. On another note, the newspaper quoted sources familiar with planning discussions at the Civil-Military Coordination Center saying that Israeli army officers are fully involved in the details of the ongoing plans, starting from removing millions of cubic meters of construction debris to preparing detailed plans to establish new Palestinian neighborhoods, which are initially supposed to be on the Israeli side of the "yellow line." The newspaper also reported, citing Israeli security sources, that Hamas may move towards proposing a compromise solution represented by forming a technocratic ruling committee that gradually manages civil affairs in the Gaza Strip, operating under the supervision of the International Peace Council, and including members from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect on October 10, the occupation army has partially withdrawn to the "yellow line," but it targets Palestinians around the line in violations that have resulted in about 400 martyrs, according to official sources in the Gaza Strip.