Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the commander of the northern Gaza brigade, is expected to replace Mohammed Sinwar as leader of Hamas's military wing, The Times reported on Sunday.
According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, al-Haddad is a member of Hamas's Military Council, and was head of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas's military wing) in Gaza City since 2021, and commander of the northern Gaza brigade since November 2023.
Al-Haddadd reportedly survived six assassination attempts and was reportedly charged with rebuilding civilian and military infrastructure during ceasefires with Israel, The Times noted.
He was also responsible for ensuring that hostage handovers went smoothly, according to the report.
The Jerusalem Post previously reported that it was likely he would take over as he is the last man standing out of the pre-war original five Hamas commanders of that brigade.
With so many Hamas commanders killed, it is possible that if Haddad is also killed, there will no longer be a senior Hamas official capable of coordinating a full hostage deal.
Al-Haddad reportedly has veto power on hostage deal proposals
Additionally, al-Haddad controls the group, holds the Israeli hostages, and has veto power on the proposal put forward by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Times said that al-Haddad coordinated the initial invasion on October 7, including rallying Hamas commanders the night before with written documents of how to carry out the attack.
Al-Hadadd has a previous bounty of $750,000 for information on his whereabouts, and is reportedly cautious of appearing in public or the media, and ensuring limited communication, The Times stated.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.