Raed Hussein Saad, or as he is known, 'Abu Mu'ez,' is considered one of the founders of Hamas' military wing. He previously served as the commander of the Gaza City Brigade, head of the Operations Department, and in his last position was head of the organization's production headquarters - responsible, among other things, for supplying rocket launchers, missiles, and weapons for terrorist purposes.
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All this until last Saturday, when he 'joined' his partners Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Daf on the list of those eliminated.
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""Saad was one of the thinkers of the 'Jericho Wall' plan - the invasion of Israeli territory," says Captain M., director of the Reinforcement Goals Division in the Research Division of the Military Intelligence, in an interview published on the IDF website. "In addition to coordinating with the rest of the leadership, he was particularly responsible for arming the forces.".
The operation to eliminate him, codenamed "The Last Supper," was carried out following Hamas' repeated efforts to harm IDF forces, including planting explosive devices. These actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. At the same time, organizations led by "Abu Mu'az" were identified to restore and enhance the terrorist organization's capabilities.
Throughout the war, Saad was in the IDF's sights. "He made sure to stay on the move, moving between many hiding places and also managed to evade several assassination attempts," describes Captain M., "He hid in mosques, hospitals, underground bunkers and places full of civilians - with the understanding that he was a prime target.".
His elimination last week involved a persistent and Sisyphean intelligence investigation, along with an extremely deep familiarity with all the variables in the situation. "The information gathering process began a long time before the operation. We prepare everything in advance, and are monitored as closely as possible. On that day, a window of opportunity for action opened up for us - and everything came together," explains Lieutenant Y., the enemy operations targets commander in the research division.
""This assassination has great significance - Saad is considered number 2 in Hamas today, and was also one of the members of the 'original' General Staff. He was personally behind the processes of manufacturing and smuggling weapons whose sole purpose was to harm Israel - from our perspective, of course, this is not something that can continue.".
Like any military organization, Hamas also had and still has aspirations for technological and military strengthening. The thwarting of Saad, according to the Intelligence Directorate, constitutes a profound harm to the ability to realize them.
""Regarding specific orders and operations, we cannot expand," explains Lieutenant Y., "but we can say that their options are much more limited than they were before the war. The ways to arm themselves with weapons of all kinds have certainly been damaged. Today, we are mainly talking about temporary organizations and localized attempts at reconstruction.".
""It is important to remember that the IDF is committed to the agreement and the rules of the game - our goal is to give decision-makers the tools to use force as needed. Hamas's violation allowed for a policy of response, and we paved the way. I am especially proud of my soldiers, Lieutenant C. and the excellent female soldiers under him. The foiling was only successful thanks to their professionalism, dedication, and hard work.".
""We still have a lot of work to do," adds Captain M., "We already know who is next in line. Each of the soldiers and officers here understands the magnitude of their work, and feels satisfaction when something of this magnitude is successfully realized, but the list is still long - it really doesn't end here.".
