Senior Israeli security official: Killing of Hamas chief carried out not in response to IED blast but in light of operational opportunity
"We identified that he has been working directly for months to violate the ceasefire. Both in the statements he made, and in the production of weapons."
The elimination of Hamas's Ra'ad Sa'ad in Gaza on Saturday was not a response to an IED blast earlier in the day but represented the seizing of an operational opportunity, a senior Israeli security official told i24NEWS.
"We identified that he has been working directly for months to violate the ceasefire. Both in the statements he made, and in the production of weapons."
Sa'ad, the official said, was in the target bank for a long time and today the opportunity has come.
"He is one of the last senior figures left in the Gaza Strip.
Sa'ad's most recent post was the head of the group’s operations division, but the arch terrorist was also behind the establishment of the Nukhba brigades, the official added. Sa'ad "was close to Marwan Issa and to Muhammad Deif. He was in custody in Israel many years ago."
This appears to contradict an earlier joint statement from Israeli PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, who said the elimination took place in response to an incident this morning where two IDF reservists were lightly wounded by an explosive device in southern Gaza.