Israel announced on Wednesday that it had killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas's armed wing in Gaza, in an airstrike the previous day. This operation came just days after his predecessor was eliminated in a similar attack.
Official Statements
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X that the “commander of the armed wing of the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza was eliminated yesterday and sent to meet his associates in the depths of hell.” Hamas has not yet commented on the incident.
A joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz confirmed: “Under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF has just carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Mohammed Odeh — the new commander of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.”
Succession and Role
Odeh was appointed as chief of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades after his predecessor, Ezzedine Al-Haddad, was killed in a strike earlier in May. The statement noted that “Odeh served as head of Hamas intelligence during the October 7 massacre and was appointed approximately one week ago as successor to Ezzedine Al-Haddad.” He was held responsible for “the murder, abduction, and injury of numerous Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.”
Casualties and Context
Gaza's civil defense agency, which operates under Hamas as a rescue service, reported that a woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Rimal neighborhood of western Gaza City. The October 7 assault, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, resulted in 1,221 deaths in Israel. Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 72,803 people, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority. The United Nations considers these figures reliable.
Since the cross-border assault, Israel has targeted senior Hamas leaders and militant commanders in Gaza and beyond. During the war, Israel has claimed responsibility for assassinating several Hamas leaders, including former political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Israeli soldiers also killed Yahya Sinwar, a key mastermind of the October 7 attack. Mohammed Deif, the longtime commander of Hamas's armed wing, was also killed. Israeli strikes have further targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon and senior Hezbollah commanders, including former chief Hassan Nasrallah.
