Israel Kills Hamas Military Wing Chief Mohammed Odeh in Gaza City Air Strike

Hamas confirmed that Mohammed Odeh, the leader of the Palestinian armed group’s military wing in Gaza, was killed in an air strike in the northern part of the strip, and Hamas said the Israeli army killed Odeh, his wife and two of his sons in a strike that targeted a residential building in Gaza City the previous day.

“Hamas has confirmed the killing of Mohammed Odeh, the leader of the Palestinian armed group’s military wing in Gaza, in an air strike in the northern part of the strip, as a fragile “ceasefire” comes under growing strain”

Al Jazeera

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that "The commander of Hamas terror organisation’s military arm number 4 in Gaza was eliminated yesterday and sent to meet his partners in the depths of hell," as the Israeli army said the killing followed months of intelligence monitoring aimed at tracking Odeh and his operatives.

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that the strike hit the upper three floors of the al-Kayali building in the centre of Gaza City, where streets were busy with shoppers ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, and that Hamas confirmed Odeh had been killed along with his wife and two of his children.

The BBC also said rescue teams struggled to reach the upper floors because of the scale of the damage and congestion in the area, while Al Jazeera reported that a source at al-Shifa Hospital said six people were killed and 20 others wounded in Israeli attacks late on Tuesday on the Remal neighbourhood in the western part of Gaza City.

In the same reporting cycle, AP said Israel carried out a pair of airstrikes in Gaza City late Tuesday, killing at least three people and injuring 12, with the bodies taken to Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, which confirmed the deaths.

Dozens of Palestinians carried the body of Hamas's armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group's top brass despite a ceasefire.

CBC quoted Odeh's brother, Khalil, saying, "There is no ceasefire, this is empty talk, there is no ceasefire with the occupation," as he added, "Every times someone is martyred, we will be strong, our resolve is strong," during the funeral.

Al-Jazeera Net

AP reported that the strike came on the eve of Eid al-Adha and that a ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas last October remains fragile, with Israeli attacks having killed more than 880 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect.

The BBC said violence in Gaza has continued on a near-daily basis despite the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreed in October, and it described Israel’s position that its military and Shin Bet targeted buildings that served as a hideout for Odeh after months of intelligence surveillance.

In a separate but related escalation, Al Jazeera reported that Hamas confirmed Odeh’s killing as a fragile “ceasefire” comes under growing strain, and it also cited Israel’s claim that Odeh was responsible for planning and coordinating Hamas terrorists’ infiltration and attack targets during the October 7 massacre.

Israel said its post-ceasefire strikes are aimed at preventing attacks or stopping people from approaching its armistice line with Hamas, and the BBC reported that Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was committed to preventing Hamas from governing Gaza "either civilly or militarily."

“The Israeli army announced on Friday the assassination of Emad Aslim, whom it described as the deputy commander of the Gaza City Brigade and the commander of the Olive Branch Battalion in the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, in an operation carried out on Wednesday”

Al-Jazeera Net

The BBC also said Netanyahu warned Israel would "continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre," adding "Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all," as it described the attack as the fourth time Israel has killed the head of Hamas' military wing since the start of the war.

AP reported that Israel says its attacks are in response to violations by Hamas or threats to its soldiers, while Palestinian health officials say scores of civilians have been among the dead, and it noted that four Israeli soldiers have also been killed during this period.

Al Jazeera placed Odeh’s killing within a broader pattern of leadership losses, saying Israel killed several senior Hamas officials including former political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, and it stated that since the so-called “ceasefire” took effect on October 11, at least 906 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.

In the same Al Jazeera account, it added that the cumulative death toll since October 7, 2023, stands at 72,803 according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, while Anadolu Ajansı reported that Gaza’s Health Ministry said 922 Palestinians have been killed and 2,786 injured in ceasefire violations since then.