Israel eliminates new Hamas military chief in Gaza, deepening leadership decapitation campaign
Israel said Wednesday it had killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed leader of Hamas's military wing in Gaza, in a strike that also claimed the lives of his wife and children — the latest in a targeted campaign against the group's senior leadership that shows no sign of slowing despite an ongoing truce.
Odeh, who had taken over as head of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades just weeks ago after his predecessor Ezzedine al-Haddad was killed on May 15, was struck on Tuesday evening in Gaza City, according to a joint statement from the Israeli military and Shin Bet. Hamas's armed wing confirmed his death, calling him a martyr in a “cowardly assassination” and saying the strike hit during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The elimination of Odeh — a veteran intelligence chief who had long been among the most elusive Hamas figures — underscores the depth of Israel's campaign to dismantle the group's command structure, even as international pressure mounts over civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Since the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, Israel has systematically taken out nearly every top leader of the organization, both inside Gaza and abroad, including former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, military mastermind Yahya Sinwar, and longtime Qassam commander Mohammed Deif.
“We committed ourselves to eliminating everyone who led the October 7 massacre, and that is what we will do: they are all marked for death, wherever they may be,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X, adding that Odeh was “sent to meet his associates in the depths of hell.”
A funeral procession for Odeh took place Wednesday in Gaza City, where hundreds of mourners carried his body — an AK-47 rifle laid across his chest — to a mosque for prayers. A cousin, Bassem Abu Odeh, told AFP that the family had been preparing to celebrate Eid when “the criminal Zionists welcomed them with missiles.”
The Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, declared that “the position of commander of Hamas's military wing has become the shortest-lived job in Gaza,” and added: “The question is no longer who's next — but how long they have left.”
Beyond Odeh's killing, the Israeli army said it struck two more senior Hamas operatives in northern Gaza on Wednesday evening, reportedly targeting a brigade commander and a deputy commander. Gaza's civil defense agency, which operates under Hamas, reported 10 dead and several wounded in the central Gaza City strike, with a medical source confirming five children among the victims.
The continued strikes come despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, which both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating. More than 900 people have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce began, according to Gaza's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. Israel still controls 60% of the Strip, including all entry and exit points, while the surviving population is largely concentrated along the coast.
Katz reiterated Israel's goal of ending Hamas's rule over Gaza and signaled a return to a controversial plan for the “voluntary migration” of its residents — a proposal backed by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and previously endorsed, then dropped, by former U.S. President Donald Trump. In February, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, denounced any plans “aimed at making a permanent demographic change in Gaza.”
Hamas's Lebanese ally Hezbollah issued a statement of condolences for Odeh, asserting that Israeli attempts “to undermine this resistance by targeting its leadership and fighters will end in failure.”
The unrelenting cycle of targeted killings, retaliatory strikes, and civilian casualties suggests that despite the ceasefire framework, the conflict remains far from resolution — with both sides digging in and the international community struggling to contain the violence.