Israel kills Hamas armed wing leader

CAIRO: An Israeli airstrike on Gaza killed the chief of Hamas' military wing, the most senior official from the Palestinian militant group killed by Israel since an October U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement that was meant to halt fighting.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed in what it described as a precise strike on Gaza City on Friday. Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes on Gaza since the ceasefire started.

Hamas confirmed in a later statement that Haddad, who was born in 1970, was killed along with his wife and daughter. It described him as a central figure in directing combat operations and accused Israel of trying to achieve politically through killings what it had failed to achieve militarily.