New Hamas military head killed in Gaza strike 11 days after predecessor eliminated

The new head of the Hamas terror group's military wing in Gaza was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday evening, the IDF and Shin Bet domestic intelligence announced on Wednesday morning. 

Mohammed Odeh, who became head of the military wing after his predecessor Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed in an airstrike 11 days earlier, was also killed when the Israel Air Force (IAF) struck the building where he was staying in Gaza City. Odeh had previously led Hamas' intelligence headquarters, where he helped plan the Oct. 7 attack, providing intelligence used to select targets. 

Israeli forces and Shin Bet had been tracking Odeh for several months, attempting to eliminate him and several Hamas officers.

🔴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 was reportedly one of the last surviving senior Hamas officers involved in the Oct. 7 planning. 

IDF footage of the strike that eliminated Hamas military wing commander Mohammed Odeh. https://t.co/UtILz97sEK pic.twitter.com/N9qiJM8QGF

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 27, 2026

The strike was first reported Tuesday evening by Palestinian news agencies and was later announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 𝕏, in which he wrote, “We struck Mohammed Odeh in Gaza just now – the leader of the military arm of Hamas and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre. We will get all of them.” 

Defense Minister Israel Katz also announced the strike on his 𝕏 account: “Under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and myself, the IDF is now striking in Gaza against Mohammed Odeh – the new leader of the military wing of the terrorist organization Hamas and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.” 

“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” Katz added. 

According to the Saudi A-Sharq Al-Awsat news agency, Odeh had been working with al-Haddad to "renew the organizational structure” of Hamas after the war.

The strikes that killed Odeh reportedly targeted a nearby apartment where another Hamas operative, said to have been involved in Oct. 7, was staying.

On Wednesday morning, Katz wrote on 𝕏, “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 also reiterated the Israeli government’s pledge that Hamas “will not rule Gaza civilly or militarily,” and that the government will implement a voluntary emigration plan for those wishing to leave the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the IDF announced that it had destroyed 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of Hamas tunnels in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza. 

🎯DISMANTLED: ~11km of underground tunnel routes east of the Yellow Line in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza.

The area served as a central Hamas terrorist stronghold. An underground network built beneath residential homes, public institutions & roads, and used by the… pic.twitter.com/5B5IqPJWrj

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 26, 2026

The tunnel network, located within the Yellow Line area occupied by the IDF, was built under “residential homes, public institutions & roads, and used by the terrorists to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians & IDF troops,” the military said.