Israel declared on Saturday that Ra’ad Sa’ad, Head of the Weapons Production Headquarters in and a key architect of the Oct. 7 attacks, had been killed.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Sa’ad was among the last veteran senior militants remaining in the Gaza Strip and a close associate of Marwan Issa, deputy head of Hamas’ military wing, having held several senior positions and serving as a central figure in the organization’s military leadership .

The IDF added that his death “significantly degrades Hamas’ ability to reestablish its capabilities.”

An IDF official told that Sa’ad had been working in recent months to reestablish the terror group’s capabilities and weapons manufacturing, violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The official also stated that under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is permitted to strike targets actively engaged in terrorism.

Sa’ad previously served as the Gaza Brigade Commander and is considered one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing, the IDF official told . He was regarded as one of the highest-ranking Hamas members remaining in Gaza. The IDF official said Sa’ad was privy to Hamas leadership matters and was a central figure in orchestrating the Oct. 7 massacre.

The IDF and ISA said in a joint statement that Sa’ad was responsible for the deaths of many soldiers killed in Gaza by explosives manufactured by the Weapons Production Headquarters during the war.

The IDF and ISA said in a joint statement that Ra’ad Sa’ad had been a leading figure in Hamas’ military wing leadership in recent months and was directly responsible for the Hamas terrorist organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement.