Netanyahu and Katz promise Israel will “continue pursuing everyone who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre,” according to a terror group connected to the Gaza media that claims Odeh was killed along with his wife and boys.
Eleven days after assassinating his predecessor, Mohammed Odeh, the new Hamas military chief, was the target of an Israeli assault in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night.
At least three people were killed and twenty injured in the attack in the western Gaza City neighbourhood of Rimal, according to Gaza’s civil defence organization, which functions as a rescue service under Hamas.
Odeh’s death was not immediately confirmed by Israel or Hamas. However, Hamas-affiliated Gaza media agencies said Wednesday morning that he was murdered together with his wife and sons. An Israeli insider told the Kan public television that Odeh was killed, according to preliminary evaluations given by Hebrew media outlets that the operation was successful.
Odeh was in charge of Hamas intelligence during the October 7, 2023, assaults, and last week he was named to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad as director of the terror group’s military arm in the Gaza Strip, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz.
On May 15, a similar attack in Gaza City claimed Al-Haddad’s life.
Netanyahu and Katz declared, “Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and injury of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.”
The Saudi A-Sharq Al-Awsat outlet claims that Odeh was close to al-Haddad and collaborated with him to “renew the organisational structure” of Hamas after its prior leaders, Muhammad Deif and Muhammad Sinwar, were assassinated during the conflict that began with the invasion of southern Israel on October 7.
According to the story, which cited a source with knowledge of the situation, Odeh was first asked to take command of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades after Sinwar was killed in May 2025 but turned it down. The two other sources, however, stated that they were unable to verify this. Yahya, Sinwar’s brother, commanded Hamas until the IDF murdered him in May 2024.
In the lead-up to October 7, Odeh was assigned to gather intelligence on IDF bases close to the Gaza border and on vulnerabilities inside the military’s Gaza Division, according to the report.
Odeh, who was raised in Gaza and is thought to be in his late 40s to early 50s, has reportedly been associated with Hamas his entire life. He used to be a member of the group’s security team, which looked for Israeli spies.
Amr, Odeh’s eldest son, was killed in a raid on his father’s Gaza home in 2025. Israel had already targeted Odeh multiple times.
Netanyahu and Katz declared, “We will continue to pursue everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre.” “Israel will eventually reach them all.”
Israel has continued its campaign against the October 7 attackers despite the ceasefire that has been in effect in Gaza since October. According to a Wall Street Journal article published last week, Israel has compiled a list of all the Palestinians involved in the attack and is attempting to kill or detain each one.
The report claims that the list comprises all Gazans who were found to have crossed the border on October 7 and all Hamas leaders who were involved in planning the massacre, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 hostages, the majority of whom were civilians, in the deadliest Jewish massacre since the Holocaust.
The IDF said last week that it had killed a Hamas agent who had invaded Israel on October 7, along with al-Haddad and Odeh, although it did not identify the individual.
This report was contributed to by agencies and Times of Israel employees.
