Hamas says leadership vote inconclusive in 1st round; 2nd round to be held later

GAZA -- Hamas said Saturday in an official statement that it has held an election to choose its leader, but the result was not decided in the first round.

A second round of voting will be held "at a later date," the statement added.

Hamas confirmed on Saturday that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, commander-in-chief of its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday.

Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military and the domestic security agency Shin Bet confirmed in a joint statement that al-Haddad was killed in the Israeli airstrike on Gaza City on Friday.

Also on Saturday, two Palestinians were killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a civilian vehicle west of Gaza City, according to Palestinian security and medical sources.

Security sources told Xinhua that an Israeli drone fired at least one missile at the vehicle near al-Wahda Tower in the al-Nasr neighborhood, causing multiple casualties.

The Israeli military has not commented on the incident.

Earlier on Saturday, Gaza-based health authorities said hospitals across the Gaza Strip had received 13 bodies and 57 injured people over the past 48 hours.

In a press statement, the authorities said that since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, a total of 870 Palestinians had been killed and 2,543 others injured by Israeli fire.

The overall Palestinian death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 72,757, with 172,645 others wounded, according to the statement.