Tel Aviv, May 27, (dpa/GNA) – Israel said on Wednesday that it had killed the newly appointed military leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, less than two weeks after the death of his predecessor.
Mohammed Odeh was killed in a strike on several buildings in Gaza City on Tuesday, following months of surveillance, the Israeli military and the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet said in a joint statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, had earlier acknowledged targeting Odeh. Odeh was involved in the planning and execution of the October 7, 2023 massacre and hostage takings, the statement said.
Hamas’s military wing confirmed the “martyrdom” of Odeh and his family in a statement on Wednesday evening. Medics in Gaza also said Odeh and four relatives were killed in the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City. A total of six people were reported killed in the attacks.
On May 16, Israel killed Odeh’s predecessor, Izz al-Din Haddad, in an Israeli airstrike. Israeli Defence Minister Katz had likewise described al-Haddad as one of the masterminds behind the Hamas attack of October 7.
According to Israeli officials, Odeh assumed command of Hamas’s military wing in the Gaza Strip, shortly after al-Haddad’s death, though Hamas never publicly confirmed the appointment.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, has formally been in place since October 2025, although both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.
GNA