Israeli forces killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed commander of Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in a strike on a residential building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on Tuesday night. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, confirmed the operation Wednesday.

🔴ELIMINATED: Mohammed Odeh – Head of Hamas’ Military Wing in a strike in northern Gaza.

Odeh served as the Head of Hamas’ military wing following the elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad. As part of his role, he was responsible for planning and coordinating Hamas terrorists’… pic.twitter.com/y1Z7eUaUMd

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2026

Odeh had held the role for approximately 11 days, succeeding Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month. He is the fourth commander of the Qassam Brigades eliminated by Israel since the October 7, 2023, attack, following Mohammed Deif, Mohammed Sinwar, and al-Haddad.

“As part of the joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet to eliminate the terrorist Mohammed Odeh, several buildings in the heart of Gaza City that served as a hideout for him were attacked, after months of intelligence surveillance in order to track his movements and the movements of his assistants in the organisation,” the IDF and Shin Bet said in a joint statement.

Hamas confirmed Wednesday that Odeh, his wife, and two of his children were killed in the strike. A third child died of wounds at a hospital on Wednesday morning, the family said.

Before his appointment as Qassam Brigades chief, Odeh had served as Hamas’s military intelligence commander, a role in which he was specifically responsible for collecting targeting data on IDF bases in the western Negev ahead of the October 7 attack. That prior role distinguishes him from his immediate predecessors and points to the depth of his involvement in the operational planning of the massacre, not just its execution.

“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement Tuesday. “We will continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”

The IDF also struck a nearby apartment it said belonged to a Hamas operative who participated in the October 7 attack and was part of Odeh’s inner circle of assistants. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the strikes in the Rimal neighborhood killed at least three people and wounded more than 20. The strike destroyed the upper floors of the al-Kayali building. Residents reported five near-simultaneous missile impacts and the sound of a helicopter overhead before the explosions.

The strike occurred as streets in the area were crowded with shoppers preparing for the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Israel had previously targeted Odeh on multiple occasions, including a 2025 strike on his father’s home that killed his eldest son. The IDF and Shin Bet described him as one of the last remaining senior Hamas military figures directly involved in planning October 7, and said his killing deals a “significant blow” to the group’s efforts to reconstitute its military structure. Hamas’s statement confirming his death did not name a successor.

Netanyahu said Israel has compiled a list of all individuals who participated in the October 7 attack and is working to kill or arrest each one, The Wall Street Journal reported last week. Israel has conducted regular strikes across Gaza since a ceasefire took effect on October 11, 2025.

The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the truce began. Hamas has accused Israel of violating ceasefire terms. Israel says it retains the right to target Hamas personnel and has accused Hamas of failing to disarm under the terms of the agreement.