Tel Aviv, May 26, (dpa/GNA) – Israel said on Tuesday it had “struck at” the new leader of Hamas’ military wing in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Odeh, without saying whether the official had been hit. A joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, described Odeh as “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.” “Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli citizens and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers,” they wrote.
There were no reports from the Gaza Strip about the strike on Odeh. However, medical sources did report that a woman had been killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Gaza City. Several others were also reported to have been injured. It remains unclear whether that airstrike was the one targeting Odeh.
Israel confirmed the death of Hamas’ former military chief, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, in an airstrike around a week and a half ago. According to the Israeli military, Odeh took over the leadership of the Islamist group’s military wing shortly after al-Haddad’s death, although Hamas has not officially confirmed this.
Netanyahu and Katz warned that Israel will continue to pursue all those involved in the Hamas-led attack in October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led Israel to launch its offensive in Gaza.
“Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all,” the ministers wrote. A ceasefire has officially been in place since October 2025 in the war between Israel and Hamas, but both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement.
GNA