JERUSALEM — Israel said it killed the commander of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Odeh, in a strike in Gaza on Tuesday, days after his predecessor died in a similar attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement the military had struck Mohammad Odeh, whom he described as Hamas’ new armed wing chief in Gaza.
Gaza health officials said three people, including a woman, were killed and more than 20 others were wounded in Tuesday’s major attack, which hit a residential building in one of Gaza City’s busiest market areas.
The strike hit the upper three floors of the al-Kayali building in the center of Gaza City, where streets were busy with shoppers ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Israel’s military and Shin Bet security service said buildings that served as a hideout for Odeh were targeted after his movements were tracked for several months.
A statement from the Israeli military and Shin Bet said they had also struck “a nearby apartment belonging to a Hamas terrorist who raided on October 7 and was part of Odeh’s circle of assistants”, referring to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene of the strikes but struggled to reach the upper floors because of the scale of the damage and congestion in the area.
Witnesses said at least five missiles struck the building almost simultaneously from different directions.
One resident said he heard the sound of a helicopter hovering overhead before the attack.
Footage from the scene showed ambulances and civil defence crews searching through the damaged building as crowds gathered nearby.
Netanyahu’s office said Odeh was “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre”.
“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers,” the statement continued.
His predecessor as commander of the group’s armed wing, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, was killed in another Israeli air strike earlier in May.
Israel has conducted regular strikes across Gaza since a ceasefire began on 10 October.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire and attacking civilians. The Palestinian territory’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported the killing of more than 900 people in Israeli strikes during the ceasefire.
The Israeli government maintains it has licence to target Hamas members and has in turn accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement by failing to disarm.
In his statement, Netanyahu said Israel would “continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre”, adding: “Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”
About 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded by launching a massive military campaign in Gaza, which reduced much of the Palestinian territory to ruins and left many of its 2.1 million residents displaced.
Israeli forces have killed more than 72,800 people in Gaza, according to its health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable.
The latest Israeli attack on Gaza comes after 31 people were killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where Netanyahu has vowed to step up military action against the armed group Hezbollah. Israel’s military said its attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and fighters.
Source: Saudi Gazette