Israel Kills Hamas Military Wing Chief Mohammed Odeh in Gaza 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, as a fragile “ceasefire” came under growing strain.

“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

In a statement on Wednesday, 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.

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,” and the Israeli army said the killing followed “months of intelligence monitoring aimed at tracking the movements of Odeh and his operatives”.

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.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said there was “a lot of destruction” after the attack targeted a busy neighbourhood as residents were preparing for the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Thousands marched in a joint funeral Wednesday, draping bodies in green Hamas flags, after Hamas confirmed that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City killed Mohammed Odeh, along with his wife and two children, on the eve of Eid al-Adha.

The Los Angeles Times said mourners covered the four bodies with green Hamas flags and marched from a mosque through the city, chanting and firing shots in the air, while some carried posters with Odeh’s picture emblazoned with the words “one of the chiefs of staffs of the Qassam Brigades,”.

Al-Jazeera Net

Israel hailed Odeh as an Oct. 7 mastermind and vowed to keep targeting Hamas leadership, with Israel Katz calling him “one of the architects” of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered over two years of war in Gaza.

The Associated Press reported that Hamas confirmed Odeh’s death in an airstrike on Tuesday and said at least five people—including Odeh and his family members—were killed and 12 were injured in Tuesday’s strike on a market in Gaza City, according to local hospitals.

The AP also said strikes killed at least seven people in Gaza City on Wednesday evening, including two children and a woman, with more than 20 people wounded, according to Shifa hospital.

The killing of Odeh came as the ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October remained fragile, with Al Jazeera saying that since the so-called “ceasefire” took effect on October 11, at least 906 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and the cumulative death toll since October 7, 2023, stands at 72,803.

“Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza”

Al-Monitor

Al Jazeera also reported that Israel responded to the October 7 attack by launching a genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, killing more than 72,800 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and that during the war the Israeli military killed several senior Hamas officials including former political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.

In the same reporting, Israel Katz said on X that “We pledged that Hamas will not hold civilian or military rule,” while Netanyahu threatened that Israel will target everyone involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

NBC News reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Odeh had headed Hamas’ intelligence division at the time of the October 7, 2023 cross-border attack and was appointed about a week ago to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was killed by Israel on May 15.

NBC News added that Israel and Hamas were deadlocked in indirect talks over implementing the second phase of a ceasefire deal, including the group’s disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals, leaving Israel in control of more than half of Gaza while Hamas controlled a sliver of coastal territory.