Israel says Hamas military commander killed in strike on Gaza

An Israeli air strike in central Gaza City has killed Mohammed Odeh, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, according to local Hamas sources and family members, marking another major assassination of a senior Hamas figure despite an ongoing ceasefire, reports BBC News with agencies on May 27th.

The strike, which hit a residential building in one of the city’s busiest market districts on May 26th, also killed at least three Palestinians and injured dozens more, local medics said. Witnesses reported heavy explosions as crowds gathered in the area ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Israel’s military and the Shin Bet security agency said the operation targeted buildings allegedly used by Odeh as a hideout after months of intelligence surveillance tracking his movements and those of his associates.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Odeh as “one of the architects” of the October 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Israeli officials accused him of involvement in the killing, abduction and injury of Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Hamas has not released an official statement confirming his death. However, a Hamas source and Odeh’s relatives said he, his wife and their adult son were killed in the strike. Family members said the son later died in hospital from his injuries.

The attack struck the upper floors of the al-Kayali building in central Gaza City, an area packed with shoppers at the time. Witnesses said at least five missiles hit the building almost simultaneously, while rescue teams struggled to reach those trapped because of severe structural damage and crowded streets.

The killing comes just days after Israel announced the death of Odeh’s predecessor, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, in another air strike on a residential building.

Although Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, hostilities have continued across Gaza. Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the truce through ongoing strikes, while Israel insists it retains the right to target Hamas members.

The war began after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Since then, more than 72,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.

BBC News with agencies, Maghrebi.org