Israeli strike targeted Hamas leader dubbed ‘Sinwar’s successor,’ but he survived, report says

A senior Hamas official told the London-based Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat that Ali al-Amoudi, who is considered the terrorist organization's leader in the Gaza Strip, was wounded in an Israeli strike targeting him two weeks ago. According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Amoudi, dubbed "Sinwar's successor," was inside the apartment targeted in the strike but survived because he was in a separate part of the residence. According to the report published Saturday morning, the official said Amoudi was in good condition and receiving treatment at a secure location. This marks the first time a senior Hamas official has acknowledged that Israeli intelligence correctly identified the target of the strike. Amoudi, Hamas' former head of public relations, was released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and has emerged over the past year as one of the central figures overseeing Hamas' affairs in Gaza. He is competing against Nizar Awadallah for the leadership of the terrorist group's political bureau in the Strip. The strike, carried out on a Saturday morning two weeks ago in western Gaza City, exactly three years after the October 7 massacre, reportedly killed five people, including four women. At the time, Asharq Al-Awsat quoted three Hamas sources who expressed doubts that Amoudi had been killed. One believed he had been at the scene but may have survived. The assassination attempt was part of an Israeli military campaign targeting senior Hamas figures in recent weeks, including the commander of Hamas' northern Gaza brigade, Izz al-Din Bik, the head of Hamas' finance department, Mohammed Abu Alwan, and the commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade, Nael Abu Obeid. Two days after the strike, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said Amoudi had survived. Speaking to the Saudi news channel Al Arabiya, Hamad accused Israel of violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement by continuing its policy of targeted killings. "The Israeli assassinations are putting the Gaza agreement at risk of collapse," he said. He also placed responsibility on Washington, saying, "The United States is responsible for saving the Gaza agreement and must pressure Israel to stop the assassinations." Amoudi was born in the Gaza Strip and lives in Khan Younis. He was linked to the murder of Shin Bet security coordinator Noam Cohen and was arrested in 1994 by troops from the IDF's undercover Duvdevan unit in the village of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem. While his accomplices exchanged fire with the soldiers surrounding the house, Amoudi emerged with his hands raised and sustained only minor injuries in the incident. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released in the 2011 Shalit prisoner exchange, along with Yahya Sinwar and approximately 1,000 other terrorists. His ties to Sinwar are considered a defining feature of his career within Hamas. The two met while serving prison sentences in Israel and maintained their relationship after their release. During Sinwar's first term as head of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza, from 2017 to 2021, Amoudi served as his bureau chief. In 2021, Amoudi was elected to Hamas' political bureau and was appointed head of the group's public relations department that same year. In that role, he helped formulate Hamas' communications strategy and messaging and coordinated between the group's political leadership and operational units. Following Sinwar's killing in October 2024 and the deaths of numerous other senior Hamas leaders in Gaza during the war, Amoudi's standing within the organization grew. According to reports, he assumed responsibility for managing the affairs of Hamas' political bureau in Gaza and became a central figure in overseeing the group's operations on the ground. During this period, his name was linked to a series of organizational changes and appointments within Hamas' structures in Gaza. Reports also indicated that some of these moves sparked disagreements among senior officials, with questions raised within Hamas over how he had acquired his authority. Amoudi is now competing with Nizar Awadallah for Hamas' top leadership position in Gaza. The first round of voting ended without a clear winner, and the decisive round was suspended after Awadallah appealed aspects of the election process. According to sources cited by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, Khaled Mashal and Zaher Jabarin support Awadallah, while Amoudi has the backing of Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' political bureau. However, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that it remains unclear whether al-Hayya supports either candidate. Despite his longstanding ties to Sinwar and his involvement in managing Hamas' affairs in Gaza, Amoudi is not regarded as a commander of the group's military wing. Rather, he is a senior political and organizational figure whose influence has grown significantly following the killing of much of Hamas' top leadership during the war.