For former hostages in Gaza Liri Albag and Emily Damari, the news of Izz al-Din al-Haddad’s elimination on May 15 was not just another report of a “successful targeted strike.” It was a deeply personal closing of the circle involving a man who was directly involved in their captivity, abuse and the operation of the terrorist network.

Their personal stories are a reminder that behind the cold security analyses stand real people, victims, families and an entire society still carrying the scars of Oct. 7, 2023.

The elimination of al-Haddad is not merely a tactical achievement. It is a move with profound strategic significance. Al-Haddad, one of the most hardline and extremist voices within Hamas, strongly opposed any framework that included the organization’s disarmament or the establishment of an alternative governing authority for Gaza.

Removing him from the equation weakens the uncompromising camp within the organization and could create new, more favorable conditions for negotiations. The message is clear: Those who reject all compromise and glorify a perpetual war of attrition are not immune.

In the Middle East, the concepts of personal responsibility and accountability carry deep cultural significance. The Quran states, “And there is life for you in qisas” (“In just retribution, there is life for you”). The principle of qisas, “an eye for an eye,” reflects the idea that precise punishment and proportional justice are what ultimately protect society, because the certainty that punishment will come creates deterrence and prevents bloodshed in the first place.

This is not about bloodlust or blind revenge, but about the understanding that in the Middle East, weakness is perceived as an invitation to aggression. When Israel makes clear that everyone involved in planning, murdering and kidnapping will pay a personal price, it strengthens its ability to survive in a hostile region shaped by long-standing paradigms.

At the same time, public discourse in Israel must remain focused on justice and the protection of civilians, rather than on celebrating violence. Certainly not on birthday cakes decorated with yellow nooses (with which National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday).

From military defeat to changing reality

Can targeted killings alone defeat Hamas? The answer is no, unless they are integrated into a broader strategic framework. Eliminating the organization’s veteran command structure forces Hamas to hand the reins to a younger, less experienced and less authoritative generation, leading to operational erosion.

However, military pressure and targeted killings are only half of the equation. To bring about the complete collapse of Hamas and prevent its rehabilitation, Israel must immediately implement a comprehensive operational strategy.

A strategic action plan: Key steps for implementation

To translate military achievements into a lasting strategic outcome, the following course of action should be pursued:

1. Holding territory as a strategic hostage: Israel must make clear that every day Hamas refuses to disarm is another day in which the organization loses territory for an indefinite period. Maintaining control over significant areas within Gaza (behind the “Yellow Line”) would serve as a political and territorial hostage. Hamas, which views land as a supreme value, would understand that time is working against it and that continued intransigence will come at the cost of legitimacy, even among its own supporters.

2. A strategic arrangement with Egypt on the Rafah Crossing: A new and far stricter political-security framework must be established with Cairo concerning the management of the Rafah Crossing. The arrangement should include close technological and human oversight, in cooperation with agreed international actors, to completely block Hamas’s lifeline, prevent large-scale weapons smuggling and deny the organization control over the movement of people and goods along the southern border. The current arrangement is partial and insufficient.

3. Establishing an independent aid mechanism as civilian leverage: A dedicated mechanism, entirely separate from Hamas, must be immediately created to manage, distribute and process humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Hamas’s control over food and other supplies is the oxygen sustaining its rule. Stripping the organization of this authority and transferring it to local actors, international companies or even militias unaffiliated with Hamas would undermine its civilian governance and create enormous pressure on its leadership, which would suddenly lose its ability to distribute resources and control the population.

4. Complete disarmament and prevention of future reintegration: A strict and clearly defined timetable must be set for the full disarmament of Hamas by the end of the year. The disarmament must be complete rather than symbolic, alongside the establishment of an absolute red line: No Hamas operative may be integrated into future security mechanisms, civilian administration or governing institutions in Gaza. Failure to comply would result in Israel dismantling Hamas by force, with international backing and support.

5. Removing toxic actors from Gaza’s administration: Israel should establish intelligence and oversight mechanisms regarding Qatari and Turkish involvement in any peace council or framework related to Gaza’s administration. This may create friction with the United States, but it is a strategic necessity dictated by reality.

6. Comprehensive financial drying-out: A strict international and local oversight mechanism must be established for all funds, donations and reconstruction budgets entering Gaza, to ensure that not a single dollar reaches local authorities remotely controlled by Hamas or contributes to the rebuilding of terrorist infrastructure.

The elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad marks a historic principle: Those who chose terrorism, kidnapping and the murder of civilians face a sole fate.

But alongside military force, Israel must employ these civilian and territorial levers. Only then can the closure sought by Albag and Damari become more than a momentary consolation, instead serving as the cornerstone of a new reality in which terrorism in Gaza permanently loses its power, its funding and its control.

Originally published by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.