Israel said Wednesday that it targeted and killed the new leader of Hamas' military wing during airstrikes in Gaza City less than two weeks after it killed his predecessor. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes, which were carried out on Tuesday, killed Mohammed Odeh. Family members of a man called Mohammed Odeh said he was killed in the strike, but did not confirm he was the leader of the military wing, reports the AP. Hamas has not commented. Katz called him "one of the architects" of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered over two years of war in Gaza and said it was the fourth time Israel has killed the head of Hamas' military wing since. Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the previous head, was killed on May 16.
At least three people were killed and 12 injured in Tuesday's strike, which took place on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday. "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." The ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas last 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 have been among the dead. Four Israeli soldiers have also been killed during this period in Gaza.
The attack came as Muslims prepared for Eid al-Adha, normally a joyous time of family gatherings and large meals. The holiday is once again subdued this year in Gaza, where the vast majority of people remain displaced and live in tents or temporary shelters. Around 90% 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.
"This is not Eid ... we're dead," said Mahmoud Saqer, a displaced man from Khan Younis. 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. "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.
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