Who was Saeed Izadi? Israeli airstrikes kill Iranian commander behind October 7 Hamas attack

Israel Iran Conflict: The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had killed Saeed Izadi, a veteran commander in the overseas arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, in an attack inside an apartment in Iran's Qom province.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement said that Izadi was the leader of the Palestine Corps of the overseas arm, also known as Quds Force.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) also released a statement later, confirming the details of the killing as well as Izadi.

“Saeed Izadi, a founder of the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel, was eliminated in a precise IDF strike in the area of Qom,” the IDF said in a post on X.

The news comes as the conflict between Israel and Iran entered its ninth day, when Tel Aviv launched a massive wave of strikes on Iran, arguing that Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons.

Who was Saeed Izadi?

The Israeli military said in its statement that Saeed Izadi was the commander of the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force – which acts as a key coordinator between the Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Iranian regime.

“Izadi was also the commander of the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, a key coordinator between the Iranian regime and Hamas, and one of the main orchestrators of the October 7 massacre,” it said.

He was responsible for military coordination between the senior commanders of the IRGC and the Iranian regime with key figures in Hamas.

The military further said, “As part of his role, Izadi was responsible for increasing the financial funding from Iran to Hamas for terrorist activities against Israel.”

During the Israel Palestine war, Saeed Izadi was also responsible for directing Hamas forces operating from Lebanon.

“Since then, he has been committed to rebuilding Hamas' military wing and ensuring that Hamas remains the controlling authority in Gaza,” the IDF said in the statement.

Izadi maintained direct contact with Palestinian terror organisations in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, the Israeli military claimed.

The Israeli military campaign has combined targeted assassinations of key Iranian military personnel, destruction of Iran's air defences and repeated strikes on nuclear sites.