JERUSALEM/CAIRO, May 27 (Reuters) – Israel said on Wednesday it had killed the newly appointed leader of Hamas’s armed wing in Gaza, days after it killed his predecessor, as it intensified military pressure in Gaza and expanded operations in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in an operation in Gaza on Tuesday.
A relative of Odeh confirmed his death to Reuters and said the funeral would be held after midday prayers in Gaza City. Hamas has not yet issued an official statement, but a note from his family said he was killed along with his wife and son.
Gaza health officials said six people, including at least one woman, were killed and more than 20 others were injured in the same Israeli strike that destroyed an upper floor of an apartment building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. Rescue teams were still at the scene looking for more possible victims.
ISRAEL SAYS ODEH WAS INVOLVED IN THE 2023 ATTACK
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Odeh headed Hamas’s intelligence division at the time of the October 7, 2023, cross-border attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, and was appointed about a week ago to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the group’s top armed commander, who was killed by Israel on May 15.
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Sources close to Hamas did not confirm Odeh’s appointment as the new military chief, but agreed that he was seen as Haddad’s possible successor, as head of the group’s military intelligence and possibly the last living member of the armed wing’s top leadership council.
Hours before the attack, Israel announced that it had expanded ground operations in Lebanon, where it has been fighting militants from Iran’s ally Hezbollah since launching attacks on Iran with the United States in late February. Israel is also intensifying its military activities in the West Bank.
Israel and Hamas are at an impasse in indirect negotiations over the implementation of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement, which includes the group’s disarmament and the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
The ceasefire agreed in October left Israel in control of more than half of Gaza, with Hamas controlling part of the coastal territory.
More than 72,000 Gazans have been killed since the war began in October 2023, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel says it takes measures to prevent civilian deaths.
Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli records.
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