Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Hamas’s newly appointed armed wing chief, Mohammad Odeh, in a strike in Gaza on Tuesday, days after killing his predecessor.
A relative confirmed his death to Reuters, saying the funeral would take place after noon prayers in Gaza City.
Hamas has yet to issue an official statement, though a family statement confirmed he was killed along with his wife and son.
Gaza health officials said six people, including at least one woman, were killed and more than 20 wounded in the same strike, which destroyed an upper floor of an apartment building in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City.
Calculated Decapitation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Odeh had headed Hamas’s intelligence division at the time of the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack into Israel and was appointed roughly a week ago to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the group’s chief armed commander killed by Israel on May 15.
Sources close to Hamas described Odeh as possibly the last remaining living member of the armed wing’s higher leadership council.
Israel has now killed dozens of Hamas leaders and military officials since the start of the war and has vowed to kill or capture anyone connected to the October 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies.
War Beyond Gaza
Hours before the strike, Israel announced it had expanded ground operations in Lebanon, where it has been fighting Iran-allied Hezbollah militants since launching attacks on Iran alongside the United States in late February.
Military activity in the West Bank is also intensifying.
Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked in indirect talks over the second phase of a ceasefire deal, which includes Hamas disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals.
The ceasefire agreed in October left Israel controlling more than half of Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas would no longer exercise civilian or military control over the enclave and that a plan for what he called “voluntary migration” from Gaza would be implemented at the appropriate time.
Mounting Death Toll
Some 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since the truce came into effect, according to Gaza health officials.
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period.
More than 72,000 Gazans have been killed since the war began in October 2023, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Israel says it takes extraordinary measures to avoid civilian casualties and that post-ceasefire strikes target those planning attacks or approaching its armistice line.
(with input from Reuters)
