Top Hamas Commander in Northern Gaza, Ezzedine Al-Bik, Killed in Israeli Airstrike
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Ezzedine Al-Bik, widely known as “Abu Hamza,” the commander of the northern brigade in the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, was killed early Tuesday in a bombing of a residential apartment in Gaza City. The Israeli army announced that it had assassinated Al-Bik, who assumed command of the al-Qassam Brigades’ northern brigade in November 2023, succeeding Ahmed al-Ghandour (Abu Anas).
The Israeli army had previously announced on May 27 that it conducted an airstrike on a building in central Gaza City, targeting Al-Bik along with the deputy commander of the Gaza Strip brigade and Emad Slim, commander of the Zeitoun battalion in al-Qassam. That attack resulted in the martyrdom of 10 Palestinians and the injury of over 20 others. It was later revealed that Slim had been martyred, but Al-Bik survived that assassination attempt.
Born in 1981, Al-Bik grew up in the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, specifically around Al-Ouda Mosque. He joined the ranks of the al-Qassam Brigades in 2000, coinciding with the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, and later rose through various military positions within the northern brigade. Al-Bik commanded the first special unit in the northern brigade, which later evolved into “special units.” He oversaw special missions and field operations of al-Qassam in the northern Gaza Strip. His name gained prominence during the occupation army’s incursion into the northern Gaza Strip in 2004, in an operation Israel termed (Days of Repentance). Palestinian groups responded with an operation titled (Days of Wrath). Clashes at the time lasted for more than two weeks in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and their surroundings. He also participated in managing al-Qassam operations during the 2008 war.
Al-Bik then commanded the “Martyr Emad Aql Battalion” in the west of Jabalia camp for approximately ten years, after which he transferred to intelligence activities within the northern brigade. He served as the head of military intelligence, responsible for gathering information on the movements and targets of the Israeli army and preparing operational plans.
Al-Bik participated in preparing intelligence and operational plans prior to the October 7, 2023, attack, and Tel Aviv accused him of involvement in previous military operations, including targeting a military vehicle with a “Kornet” missile following a covert operation in Khan Younis in 2018. After the martyrdom of Ahmed al-Ghandour on November 26, 2023, Al-Bik assumed command of the al-Qassam northern brigade, taking responsibility for military operations in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Jabalia camp, and Jabalia البلد, areas that witnessed some of the most intense ground battles during the war.
Al-Bik’s name is particularly associated with the battles that northern Gaza Strip witnessed from October 2024. He became known as the “breaker of the generals’ plan” after leading al-Qassam’s defensive plan against Israel’s extensive operation in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun. The “generals’ plan” was a proposal put forth by retired Israeli Major General Giora Eiland, along with a group of former officers. Eiland presented it to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on September 18, 2024, calling for the declaration of northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and its surroundings, as a closed military zone. The plan’s premise was to give residents of northern Gaza Strip a deadline to evacuate to the south, then impose a complete siege on those who remained, preventing food, water, fuel, and medicine from entering, under the assumption that those remaining after the evacuation deadline would be considered combatants or part of Hamas’s affiliated forces. The stated aim of the plan was to compel Hamas fighters to surrender or leave the area and increase pressure for the release of Israeli hostages.
The occupation army did not officially announce the approval of this plan, and Israeli sources stated that the cabinet had not approved it in its original form. Nevertheless, operations that began in early October 2024 in northern Gaza Strip included similar aspects, such as widespread evacuation orders, intensified sieges, and reduced aid entry, concurrent with a large-scale ground operation in and around Jabalia. In response, tens of thousands of Palestinians remained in northern Gaza Strip, and the al-Qassam Brigades and other factions continued to carry out ambushes and operations against occupation forces in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun. Hamas sources say Al-Bik was among the most prominent individuals managing this confrontation, and the defensive plan he led was based on attrition of invading forces through ambushes, bombs, and close-quarters engagements.
