Israel claims to have killed new Hamas chief in airstrike
Mohamed Odeh was assassinated just two weeks after his predecessor died in a similar attack
Israel says it has assassinated the newly appointed Hamas chief in an airstrike on Gaza City, just two weeks after killing his predecessor in another attack.
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Mohamed Odeh was targeted in his hideout by the Israeli military in northern Gaza on Tuesday night.
Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet said this came after months of monitoring Odeh's activities.
The air strike killed at least three other Palestinians and injured dozens in one of the busiest market areas in Gaza City, according to local medics.
Odeh acted as Hamas chief for just a few days before his death, leading the organisation’s military wing after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed earlier this month.
His killing was confirmed by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister.
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🔴ELIMINATED: Mohammed Odeh - Head of Hamas’ Military Wing in a strike in northern Gaza.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2026
Odeh served as the Head of Hamas’ military wing following the elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad. As part of his role, he was responsible for planning and coordinating Hamas terrorists’… pic.twitter.com/y1Z7eUaUMd
In a post on X, Katz wrote: “The commander of Hamas terror organization's military arm number 4 in Gaza was eliminated yesterday and sent to meet his partners in the depths of hell.
He went on: “We committed to eliminating everyone who led the October 7 massacre, and so it shall be: they are all sentenced to death, wherever they may be.”
The Israeli military and Shin Bet said Odeh was one of the last living organisers of the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas launched an attack on Israeli communities on the Gaza border, killing over 1,000 people and kidnapping over 250.
In a joint statement, they said: “As part of the joint IDF and ISA operation to eliminate the terrorist Mohammed Odeh, terror infrastructure sites in the heart of Gaza City that Odeh used to hideout were struck."
"This followed months of intelligence monitoring aimed at tracking the movements of Odeh and his operatives", it went on.
This came despite an official ceasefire, which was mediated by President Trump after over two years of fighting. The status of the ceasefire is said to have stalled, with a report on Wednesday indicating it is “stuck in limbo”.
The US has not yet commented on the assassination of Odeh, or Israel’s almost daily attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Israel has claimed it was targeting terrorists and infrastructure that posed a threat to both IDF forces and Israeli civilians.