JERUSALEM - The Israeli military confirmed that its forces killed a senior Hamas militant in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that Ra'ad Sa'ad, head of the weapons production headquarters in Hamas' military wing, was killed. Sa'ad was described as one of the planners of the Oct 7, 2023 attack and "one of the last remaining senior militants" in Gaza.

The Israeli military claimed that Sa'ad was "directly responsible for violations of the ceasefire agreement" by Hamas in recent months, accusing him of leading the continued production of weapons during the ceasefire.

A joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the elimination of Sa'ad was in response to the detonation of a Hamas explosive device that wounded Israeli forces on Saturday in Gaza.

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Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military said two reserve soldiers were lightly injured as a result of the explosive device that detonated during an operation to clear the area of militant infrastructure in southern Gaza.

Despite the latest ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect in October, Israel has continued to carry out strikes in Gaza, killing more than 380 people and injuring over 1,000 others, according to Gaza's health authorities.