“The killing of Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad proves that dismantling Hamas the hard way is possible. And this will not be the end. Hamas will lay down its weapons — voluntarily or by force.”

That was the statement of a senior official involved in international efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip.

According to the official, the targeted killing of al-Haddad could possibly push Hamas to agree to voluntary disarmament — though that is not certain.

“But that does not stop us,” the source continued. “Hamas will be disarmed. The sooner it decides to do so voluntarily, the better for them. The longer it waits, the worse it is for everyone involved — including Hamas itself. It is a win-win or a lose-lose — but in the end, they will be disarmed.”

The remarks came after the Hamas military chief was killed on Friday.

According to the same source, Hamas has for several weeks effectively been violating the existing agreements.

The funeral procession for Izz al-Din al-Haddad in Gaza City, May 16, 2026. His killing is seen by those involved in the reconstruction talks as a further step towards the disarmament of Hamas. Photo: Khalil Kahlout/Flash90.

“As President Donald Trump said: Hamas will lay down its weapons the easy way or the hard way. It brought this situation on itself, and it will happen in any case. Disarmament will come — voluntarily or by force. We are not telling Israel whether it should resume the fighting or not. That is Israel’s decision.”

The official also said the next step is to deploy a technocratic administrative commission and Palestinian police forces to areas under Israeli control and not under Hamas control.

“There is very good cooperation,” he said. “At this point, it is more about coordination and organization than fundamental disagreements. We are now moving into a reconstruction phase — not yet full reconstruction, but provisional measures first. Before that, however, a great deal of work must be done, including clearing rubble and eliminating tunnels. Everything is still in preparation. The decision of the peace body is not to stop preparations for reconstruction.”

Asked whether the international peace body was angry with Israel over the killing of al-Haddad, a source familiar with the matter replied:

“There is neither anger at Israel nor no anger. We are continuing as usual, and everyone understands that Hamas violated the agreements and brought this situation upon itself.”

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