IDF strike on Hamas’s Gaza chief kills 5, including mother and daughter; his fate unclear

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City overnight Friday-Saturday targeted Ali al-Amoudi, the terror group’s de facto leader in the enclave, according to a security source, with Palestinian media reporting five people killed, including women. It was unclear whether Amoudi was killed. The strike hit a building in western Gaza City. Palestinian media reported that among those killed were Maisaa Abu Dawood and her daughter Mary, members of Gaza’s Greek Orthodox church. Videos circulating online showed a funeral procession for the pair in the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City on Saturday. Dr. Yasmin Al-Bobo, head of Palestine University’s multimedia department, and her mother were also identified as victims, along with a 21-year-old man. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Amoudi was not named among the dead in Palestinian media, though rescue teams were still reportedly searching for additional missing people. Palestinians inspect the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, in the Strip’s north, on October 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented on the strike. Amoudi, a close confidant of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was released from Israeli prison in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange — the same deal that saw Sinwar freed — and later ran Sinwar’s office before heading Hamas’s media apparatus. Advertisement Amoudi has emerged as a central figure following the killing of senior Hamas leaders, and now effectively manages the terror group’s affairs in the Strip, particularly the work of its political bureau. Khalil al-Hayya, based in Qatar, was elected overall leader of Hamas in July, prompting the group to hold a separate internal election to replace him as its political chief in Gaza. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in an interview with Qatar’s Al-Araby channel, on September 26, 2026. (Al-Araby/X screenshot) That contest has yet to produce a winner. The first round between Amoudi and Nizar Awadallah reportedly ended inconclusively after some voters submitted blank ballots, and a runoff was subsequently suspended after Awadallah challenged aspects of the voting process. Meanwhile, the IDF announced Saturday that two Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders were killed in separate strikes in Gaza City the day prior. One strike killed Ahmed Mahmoud Harb Ramlawi, who, according to the IDF, served as a commander in the rocket unit of Islamic Jihad’s Shejaiya Battalion. A second strike killed Munir Ibrahim Masri, a commander of an Islamic Jihad anti-tank squad, the army said. Advertisement חיל-האוויר תקף אתמול בעיר עזה וחיסל את המחבל אחמד מחמוד חרב רמלאוי, מפקד ביחידה הרקטית של גדוד ש'געייה בזרוע הצבאית של ארגון הטרור הג'יאהד האיסלאמי פלסטיני. בתקיפה נוספת אתמול במרחב העיר עזה, חוסל מהאוויר המחבל מוניר אברהאים מצרי, ראש חוליית טילי נ"ט בארגון הגא"פ. לאורך המלחמה… pic.twitter.com/3Gz6inuVDy — Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 3, 2026 Both terror operatives had been advancing attacks on troops and Israeli civilians and were attempting to restore Islamic Jihad capabilities, “in systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the IDF said in a statement. The weekend strikes came after the military said it killed two Hamas members in separate strikes throughout the week. The targets were identified by the military as Izz al-Din al-Bik, who had overseen the holding of at least 15 Israeli hostages during the war and took part in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, as well as Tamer Hamaida, who served as a sniper in Hamas’s military wing. Over 74,200 people have been killed in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attacks, including more than 1,400 since an October 2025 ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave, although the toll does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Advertisement Mourners attend the funeral of Palestinians Maisaa Abu Dawood and her daughter Mary, who were killed in an early morning Israeli airstrike, at the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, October 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) The Israeli military believes that Hamas’s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative. The IDF says it has killed over 24,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,200 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques. Palestinians inspect the site of an early morning Israeli airstrike in Gaza city, October 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) The October 2025 US-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, but it failed to end strikes by the Israeli military, which the army says aim to thwart attacks by Hamas and other Gaza terrorists. Gaza remains bisected into Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas. US-led efforts to reach a comprehensive deal that would see Hamas disarm and Israel withdraw have stalled amid disagreements over the process. 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