Photo: Tasnim News Agency | CC BY 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Hamas Confirms Gaza Strike Killed Its New Military Chief Mohammed Odeh
Hamas confirmed that an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, killed its new military leader, Mohammed Odeh.[1]
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said on Wednesday that Israeli forces killed Odeh in a strike the previous day.[2] The strike hit Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood, and witnesses reported large explosions there.[2] Hamas said Odeh's wife and two children also died, and Gaza hospitals reported at least five people killed and 12 wounded in the market-area strike.[1] Thousands attended a joint funeral for Odeh and his family on May 27, where mourners wrapped the bodies in green Hamas flags.[1]
Israel has described Odeh as one of the planners of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and led to roughly 250 hostages.[2] The Israeli military says Odeh became head of Hamas' military wing after the killing of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who had taken charge following earlier slayings of senior Hamas figures.[3] The strike comes less than two weeks after Odeh's predecessor was killed and amid rising clashes with Hezbollah and ongoing U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks.[4]
Initial reporting and Israeli statements emphasized the operation as a targeted effort to weaken Hamas' military and governing command.[3] Later coverage shifted to highlight the civilian toll, including the deaths of Odeh's wife and children and the market casualties reported by Gaza hospitals.[1]
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, that Israel killed Mohammed Odeh in an airstrike in Gaza the previous day (Israel Katz).
- The strike hit Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and witnesses reported large explosions there (Rimal neighborhood).
- Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Katz, and the IDF said Odeh helped plan the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in roughly 250 hostages (Oct. 7, 2023 attack).
- The New York Times reported that Israeli forces killed Odeh in an airstrike in northern Gaza on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and characterized him and his predecessor as the most senior Hamas officials killed by Israel since a ceasefire began in Gaza last fall, noting the strike occurred amid escalations with Hezbollah and U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks (New York Times).
- Hamas issued a formal statement on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, confirming Mohammed Odeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and saying his wife and two of his children were also killed in the strike (Hamas).
- Local hospitals reported at least five people killed and 12 injured in the market-area attack that killed Odeh, and later strikes in Gaza City on the evening of Wednesday, May 27, 2026, killed at least seven more people and wounded more than 20, according to Shifa Hospital (Shifa Hospital).
- Thousands attended a joint funeral for Odeh and his family in Gaza City on May 27, where mourners wrapped the four bodies in green Hamas flags and carried posters calling him one of the 'chiefs of staffs' of the Qassam Brigades (joint funeral).
- Israeli statements framed the killing as part of an effort to cripple Hamas as both a military and governing force, and it came less than two weeks after Odeh's predecessor was killed (Odeh's predecessor).
- The IDF said Odeh had become head of Hamas' military wing after the killing of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who had assumed control following earlier eliminations of senior Hamas figures (Israel Defense Forces).
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
May 28, 2026
12:06 AM
Hamas confirms that Israeli strikes killed its new military leader in Gaza City
New information:
- Hamas issued a formal statement on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, confirming that its new military leader Mohammed Odeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
- The Hamas statement says Odeh's wife and two of his children were also killed in the Tuesday strike, and local hospitals reported at least five people killed and 12 injured in that market attack.
- Later Israeli strikes in Gaza City on the evening of Wednesday, May 27, 2026, killed at least seven additional people, including two children and a woman, and wounded more than 20, according to Shifa Hospital.
- Thousands of people attended a joint funeral for Odeh and his family in Gaza City on May 27, where mourners wrapped the four bodies in green Hamas flags and carried posters calling him one of the 'chiefs of staffs' of the Qassam Brigades.
- Hamas described Odeh as a veteran member active for more than three decades and part of the first generation that established the group's armed wing, while Israel's defense minister labeled him one of the 'architects' of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
- The Israeli military said it carried out strikes in the northern Gaza Strip on May 27 targeting two Hamas militants, without immediately confirming the civilian toll reported by Gaza medical officials.
May 27, 2026
3:14 PM
Israel eliminates head of Hamas' military wing in Gaza strike
New information:
- Fox News reports that the Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, that Mohammed Odeh, described as the new head of Hamas' military wing, was killed in an airstrike in northern Gaza.
- The IDF statement characterizes Odeh as responsible for planning and coordinating Hamas infiltration and attack targets during the October 7, 2023 attack, and for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement vowing to "continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre" and saying Israel will reach them all "sooner or later."
- The article reiterates that Odeh became head of Hamas' military wing after the killing of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, whom the IDF says had assumed control of Hamas following the earlier eliminations of Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar.
10:51 AM
Iran War Live Updates: Fighting Flares in Lebanon, Complicating U.S.-Iran Peace Talks
New information:
- The New York Times live update, published May 27, 2026, states that Israeli forces killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Odeh in an airstrike in northern Gaza on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and characterizes Odeh and his predecessor as the most senior Hamas officials killed by Israel since a ceasefire began in Gaza last fall.
- The piece places the Odeh killing in the broader context of simultaneous escalations with Hezbollah in Lebanon and U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks, underscoring that Israel is conducting targeted operations in Gaza even while a ceasefire is officially in place.
10:09 AM
Israel Kills New Hamas Military Chief 11 Days After Strike on Predecessor
New information:
- The Wall Street Journal reports that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, that Israel killed Mohammed Odeh in an airstrike in Gaza the previous day.
- The article specifies the strike hit Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, with witnesses reporting large explosions there.
- Katz is quoted as saying Odeh helped plan the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in roughly 250 hostages.
- The piece frames the killing as part of Israel's effort to cripple Hamas as both a military and governing force, and notes it came less than two weeks after killing Odeh's predecessor.