GAZA (Realist English). The Israel Defense Forces carried out a strike in the Gaza Strip, eliminating the new head of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Odeh. The operation came 11 days after the killing of his predecessor, Izz al‑Din al‑Haddad.
On the evening of May 26, Israeli forces struck the Rimal neighborhood in western Gaza City. According to the Gaza Civil Defense (a rescue service operating under Hamas), at least three people were killed and 20 wounded.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Odeh’s death on the morning of May 27.
“The fourth commander of the Hamas terror organization’s military wing in Gaza was eliminated yesterday and sent to meet his partners in the depths of hell,” Katz wrote on X, thanking the IDF and Shin Bet for their “brilliant execution.”
He also vowed to continue hunting down all those who organized the October 7, 2023, massacre.
“We swore to eliminate everyone who led the October 7 massacre, and we will do it. They are all marked for death, wherever they are,” the defense minister said.
According to Hamas‑affiliated media, Odeh was killed together with his wife and sons.
Who Was Mohammed Odeh
According to a joint statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz, Odeh served as Hamas’s intelligence chief during the October 7, 2023, attacks. Last week, he was appointed to succeed Izz al‑Din al‑Haddad as commander of the terror group’s military wing in the Gaza Strip. Al‑Haddad was killed in a similar strike in Gaza City on May 15.
“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction and injury of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the statement said.
According to the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al‑Awsat, Odeh was close to al‑Haddad and worked with him to “renew the organizational structure” of Hamas after the assassinations of former leaders Mohammed Deif and Mohammed Sinwar during the war that followed the October 7 invasion.
Odeh was estimated to be in his late 40s to early 50s. He grew up in Gaza and was reportedly involved with Hamas his entire life. In the past, he headed the group’s security unit that hunted Israeli spies. Israel had targeted him several times before, including a 2025 strike on his father’s house that killed his eldest son, Amr.
The Operation Continues
Despite the ceasefire that has been in effect in Gaza since October 2025, Israel continues its campaign against the perpetrators and organizers of the October 7 attack. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has compiled a list of all Palestinians who took part in the attack and is working to kill or arrest each one.
The list includes all Gazans who crossed the border on October 7, 2023, as well as all Hamas leaders involved in planning the massacre, in which, according to Israeli data, about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz stressed in their joint statement: “We will continue to pursue everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”
Since the ceasefire was reached in October 2025, Israel has maintained control of approximately 60% of the Gaza Strip, leaving Hamas only a narrow coastal strip.
The Palestinian side claims that since the start of the war in October 2023, the total death toll in Gaza has exceeded 72,000. Israel, for its part, states that its strikes are a response to Hamas’s violations of the ceasefire and attempts by militants to approach Israeli positions or the front line.
Escalation on the Lebanese Front
The situation on the Lebanese front is also intensifying. Prime Minister Netanyahu has declared his intention to “step on the gas,” expand the military campaign and “crush” Hezbollah.
According to him, the IDF is operating with large ground forces, seizing and controlling strategic heights. In response, an additional call‑up of reservists was announced.
Israeli military officials have officially confirmed the expansion of operations beyond the “golden line” – the informal boundary established by the April 17 ceasefire agreement. The Israeli Air Force is striking not only southern border areas but also targets in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
Intensity of strikes and Hezbollah’s response
May 26 was one of the heaviest days of bombing since the April truce: more than 120 airstrikes were carried out on Lebanese territory. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, on the evening of May 26, 31 people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli attacks.
Targets of the Israeli army include Hezbollah infrastructure, weapons depots and command centers. Hezbollah, for its part, has not remained in debt: on May 25, it claimed to have carried out 22 operations against the IDF using drones, rockets and artillery.
The Lebanese movement has also begun using new fiber‑optic drones, which, according to the Israeli side, are more difficult to intercept.