The head of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza told mediators from Egypt and Qatar that the group will refuse the peace proposal offered by President Donald Trump, the BBC reports.
Izz al-Din al-Haddad, a senior commander in Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, reportedly believes the U.S. plan is intended to eliminate Hamas whether it accepts the deal or not — and he is determined to continue fighting, sources told mediators. Arab News noted that the armed wing wields outsized influence in negotiations because it holds the remaining 48 hostages in Gaza, only about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Background reporting traces al-Haddad’s prominence back to the build-up to the October 7 attack. According to Israel Behind the News, al-Haddad — also known by the nom de guerre “Abu Saheeb” — convened battalion commanders on October 6 and handed them a printed page bearing the Qassam Brigades’ logo. “With faith in crushing victory, the leadership of the brigades has approved the start of the major military operation ‘Al-Aqsa Flood,’” the communique read, urging fighters to “rely on Him and fight bravely” and to let cries of “Allahu Akbar” herald the operation.
Israeli media have portrayed Izz al-Din al-Haddad as a guerrilla warfare strategist operating in northern Gaza and have at times named him as a possible successor to Mohammed Deif, the longtime Hamas military mastermind. Deif — credited with planning numerous attacks including suicide bombings, kidnappings, rocket barrages and tunnel operations against Israeli targets — was killed in an Israeli airstrike in July 2024.
Hamas’s rejection of the U.S. framework complicates international efforts to end the Gaza war and secure the remaining hostages, and underscores the divide between political and military leaders within the Palestinian enclave.
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