Hamas’s armed wing confirmed on Wednesday that Israel killed its new leader Mohammed Odeh in a strike in Gaza City Tuesday, less than two weeks after killing his predecessor. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called Odeh “one of the architects” of the October 7 attacks that triggered more than two years of war in Gaza.
Israel said Wednesday it targeted and killed the new leader of Hamas's military wing, Mohammed Odeh, during air strikes in Gaza City on Tuesday less than two weeks after killing his predecessor.
In a statement confirming Odeh as its chief of staff, Hamas's armed wing said he was killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday evening.
"With great pride, honour, dignity and defiance, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades announce the martyrdom of one of the foremost leaders of the Palestinian resistance," it said, adding that he was killed "in a cowardly assassination operation that resulted in the martyrdom of him, his wife, and his children".
A Hamas official told AFP that three of Odeh's children were killed, including two adult men and a girl under 18.
Odeh and his family's funeral took place Wednesday in Gaza City, with hundreds of mourners in attendance.
An AK-47 was laid on Odeh's corpse as the crowd carried him to the mosque for funerary prayers.
Noting that Odeh was killed during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Bassem Abu Odeh, a cousin, told AFP that the deceased and his family "were ready to welcome Eid, but instead the criminal Zionists welcomed and targeted them with missiles".
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz called Odeh “one of the architects” of the October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered more than two years of war in Gaza and said it was the fourth time Israel has killed the head of Hamas’ military wing since that massacre. Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the previous head, was killed on May 16.
At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in Tuesday's strike, according to local hospitals.
“We pledged to eliminate everyone who led the October 7 massacre and this is what we will do: They are all bound to die, everywhere,” Katz wrote on X on Wednesday. “We pledged that Hamas will not hold civilian or military rule.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is preparing for elections in the fall, also threatened that Israel will target everyone involved in the October 7, 2023, attack.
The attack came as Muslims prepared for Eid al-Adha, normally a joyous time of family gatherings and large meals.
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Once again, the holiday is subdued in Gaza, where the vast majority of people remain displaced and live in tents or temporary shelters. Around 90 percent of Gaza’s more than 2 million people have lost their homes, according to UN estimates, with most of them now sheltering in huge tent camps with rat infestations and pools of sewage. They are dependent on aid to survive.
Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice”, is an Islamic holiday celebrated by millions of Muslims across the globe. The four-day holiday, which begins during the Hajj pilgrimage, also is known for being a joyous occasion during which families gather, and children are given new clothes and gifts.
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“This is not Eid … we’re dead,” said Mahmoud Saqer, a displaced man from Khan Younis, who described people as being distressed by the ongoing human suffering and killings in the territory.
In Khan Younis and Gaza City, amid destroyed buildings, including a ruined mosque, people gathered for Eid prayers with few signs of celebration beyond a few clusters of balloons lining one street. Tahrir al-Khatib said the joy that accompanies Eid has been silenced in Gaza.
“There’s no Eid. My children were killed. Eid is only for the people who lost no one,” said Ayda Al-Banna, a displaced woman from Gaza City, who prayed Eid prayers with her granddaughter.
A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October remains fragile. Israeli attacks have killed more than 880 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect. Israel says its attacks are in response to violations by Hamas or threats to its soldiers, but Palestinian health officials say scores of civilians are among the dead. Four Israeli soldiers have also been killed during this period in Gaza.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks in October 2023, which killed some 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza says more than 72,803 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas government, does not give a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
