In a tumultuous weekend marked by violence and political tension, the Israeli military announced the killing of senior Hamas commander Raed Saed in Gaza City, while a spate of related incidents across the region and as far as Australia underscored the deepening complexities of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
According to Global Banking and Finance Review, the Israeli military said it killed Raed Saed, described as one of the chief architects behind the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Saed was targeted in a strike on a car in Gaza City on Saturday, December 13, 2025. The attack, which killed five people and wounded at least 25 others, was the highest-profile assassination of a Hamas figure since the ceasefire agreement took effect in October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement, explaining that Saed was targeted in direct response to a Hamas attack earlier that day, in which an explosive device injured two Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military described Saed as a high-ranking Hamas member who played a key role in establishing the group’s weapons production network. “In recent months, he operated to reestablish Hamas' capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire,” an Israeli military official stated, as reported by Global Banking and Finance Review.
Hamas sources, cited in the same report, identified Saed as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izz eldeen Al-Hadad. They said he previously led Hamas’ Gaza City battalion, one of the group’s largest and best-equipped units. However, there was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or Gaza medics that Saed was among the dead, and Hamas’ official statement condemned the strike as a violation of the ceasefire without confirming his fate or threatening specific retaliation.
The war’s roots stretch back to October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a devastating attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people—most of them civilians—and seizing 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 70,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, with the majority being civilians. The October 10, 2025, ceasefire allowed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of Gaza City, as Israeli troops pulled back and aid flows increased. Yet, violence has persisted: Palestinian health authorities report at least 386 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since the truce, while Israel says three of its soldiers have died and that it has targeted numerous fighters.
The unrest was not confined to Gaza. According to i24NEWS, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported eliminating two Hezbollah operatives in separate strikes in southern Lebanon on December 14, 2025. These operations targeted individuals allegedly attempting to rebuild Hezbollah’s infrastructure, which Israel contends violates agreements between the two countries. In the Yater area, the IDF targeted a Hezbollah member involved in these efforts, and in the Bint Jbeil area, a local Hezbollah official, said to be a liaison on financial and military matters, was also killed. Earlier in the day, the IDF conducted a third strike against another Hezbollah member, with the results still being assessed at the time of reporting.
“They were attempting to rebuild the infrastructure of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, and their actions constituted a violation of the agreements between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli army will continue to act to eliminate any threat and protect the State of Israel,” the IDF stated, as reported by i24NEWS.
The violence spilled over into internal Palestinian affairs as well. On December 14, 2025, Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Zamzam, an officer in Hamas’s Internal Security Service, was assassinated by gunmen in central Gaza’s Al-Maghazi camp. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry announced that a suspect had been arrested and that an investigation was underway, according to i24NEWS. The motives and affiliations of the attackers remain unclear, but the incident adds another layer of instability to an already fraught landscape.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, IDF troops identified and neutralized a terrorist who crossed the so-called ‘Yellow Line’ on December 14, 2025, posing what they described as an immediate threat to their forces. The IDF emphasized that, even under the ceasefire, its Southern Command remains vigilant and ready to address potential dangers.
The reverberations of the conflict were felt far beyond the Middle East. A shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, on December 14, 2025, left one Israeli dead and another injured. The Israeli Embassy and Foreign Ministry are in contact with the victims’ families, and the Israeli consul is expected to visit the hospital to offer support, according to i24NEWS. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack, calling it an antisemitic act and stating, “antisemitism has no place in this world.” He extended American prayers to the victims, the Jewish community, and the Australian people.
In the aftermath of the Sydney attack, a local shopkeeper, Ahmed al-Ahmed, was hailed as a hero for disarming one of the terrorists before being shot himself. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised al-Ahmed’s bravery and used the occasion to criticize Australian policy. During a visit to Dimona, Netanyahu said, “A few months ago, I wrote a letter to the Australian Prime Minister telling him that his country’s policies were fanning the flames of antisemitism and encouraging the hatred of Jews that is rampant on the streets of Australia. Antisemitism is a cancer that spreads like a plague, and leaders must replace their weakness with firmness in the face of it. This has not been the case in Australia, and something terrible happened today. A cold-blooded murder. The number of people murdered is unfortunately increasing by the minute.”
Back in the region, tensions remain high as both Israeli and Palestinian authorities navigate the fragile ceasefire. The IDF continues to assert its right to act against perceived threats, while Hamas and Hezbollah face internal and external challenges to their authority and operational capacity. The cycle of violence, punctuated by high-profile assassinations and retaliatory strikes, shows little sign of abating, despite international efforts to broker lasting peace.
As the dust settles on another bloody weekend, the scars of conflict—physical, political, and psychological—remain etched across Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and even distant communities touched by the violence. With key figures eliminated and new threats emerging, the region faces yet another uncertain chapter in its long and troubled history.
