Israel announced on Wednesday that it has killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’s armed wing in Gaza, marking another high-profile assassination despite an ongoing ceasefire.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency confirmed Odeh died during an intense Tuesday night airstrike in Gaza City’s upscale Rimal neighbourhood.
While Hamas never officially announced Odeh’s promotion, security sources noted he had long led the group’s intelligence service and succeeded Ezzedine al-Haddad, who was killed on May 15. A Hamas source confirmed that Odeh’s wife and two children were also killed in the bombardment.
The assassination underscores Israel’s systematic campaign to eliminate Hamas’ leadership following the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Odeh is the fourth head of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades that Israel claims to have killed since the war began, joining a list of high-ranking targets that includes former political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, strategic mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, and longtime military commander, Mohammed Deif.
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, fiercely defended the strike on social media, declaring that the military remains committed to eliminating anyone involved in the October 7 massacre, stating, “they are all marked for death, wherever they may be.”
Beyond the targeted killings, Minister Katz used the announcement to reiterate Israel’s broader geopolitical goals for the enclave, sparking renewed international friction.
In his statement, Katz alluded to plans for ending Hamas’ rule and implementing a controversial “voluntary migration” project to permanently displace Gaza’s residents—a policy heavily championed by far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich.
This rhetoric stands in stark contrast to previous warnings from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, who has strongly denounced any initiatives aimed at forcing permanent demographic changes within the Gaza Strip.
The strike comes at a tense moment for the region, where a fragile ceasefire established in October 2025 has done little to halt the bloodshed.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 910 people have been killed by Israeli actions since the truce officially took hold, adding to a staggering total death toll that now stands at 72,803 within the Palestinian territory.
As Israel retains control over 60 percent of the Gaza Strip, including all entry and exit points, the latest escalations in Gaza City and reported shelling in the south continue to push the highly concentrated coastal population deeper into a humanitarian crisis.
