Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem

Jerusalem, May 27: Israel on Tuesday claimed it had targeted Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed chief of Hamas’s armed wing, in an airstrike in Gaza, days after his predecessor was reportedly killed in a similar attack.

In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) carried out a strike aimed at Odeh, whom they described as one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack on Israel.

“Under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, the IDF has carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Mohammed Odeh, the new commander of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organisation,” the statement said.

However, Israeli authorities did not immediately confirm whether Odeh was killed in the strike.

According to Israel, Odeh had recently taken charge of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades after the death of former commander Ezzedine Al-Haddad in an Israeli strike earlier this month.

The statement further alleged that Odeh had served as Hamas intelligence chief during the October 7 assault and was involved in planning attacks that resulted in the deaths, injuries and abductions of Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that at least three people were killed and around 20 others injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Rimal neighbourhood in western Gaza City.

Following the October 7 Hamas attack, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had vowed to eliminate those responsible for orchestrating the assault, which according to Israeli figures claimed the lives of 1,221 people.

Since then, Israel has intensified military operations in Gaza and launched targeted strikes against senior Hamas leaders and commanders both within Gaza and in neighbouring regions.

Israeli forces have previously claimed responsibility for killing several top Hamas figures, including former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, longtime commander of Hamas’s armed wing.

Israeli strikes have also targeted Hezbollah operatives and commanders in Lebanon, including former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, amid the wider regional tensions linked to the ongoing conflict.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 72,800 people have been killed in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza since the conflict escalated after the October 7 attack.