US-Iran war Trump tariffs CJP protest in Delhi World Brain Day

Who was Mohammed Odeh, the new Hamas chief killed in an Israeli strike?

On Tuesday (May 26), the newly appointed military commander of Hamas, Mohammed Odeh, was targeted and reportedly killed in a precise Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have described the Hamas chief as ‘one of the architects of the October 7 massacre’

Mohammed Odeh was also one of the key architects of the October 7 attack on Israel. Image courtesy: X

FP Explainers|May 27, 2026, 10:18:27 IST

Israel has reportedly killed Hamas’s newly appointed military chief, Mohammed Odeh, in an Israel Defence Forces strike in Gaza City on Tuesday (May 26), the initial assessment indicates.

According to the local rescue service, the strike devastated the upper floor of an apartment building in the Rimal neighbourhood of western Gaza City, killing two people and wounding over 20.

This is the second elimination of the group’s top armed chief in less than two weeks. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz pronounced that Israel had carried out a strike targeting Odeh, after the killing of his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, earlier this month.

However, Hamas has yet to comment and confirm its new military chief's targeting. Odeh is also one of the key architects of the October 7 massacre.

Who was Mohammed Odeh?

Odeh was born in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. He was associated with Gaza's refugee sector just like other Hamas leaders.

He joined Hamas shortly after its foundation in 1987, Yet Global reported.

In the early part of his career, he served in Majd, the group’s internal security wing tasked with tracking down individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel.

Odeh then became a commander in Hamas’ military wing, serving until 2019 as commander of the western Jabaliya battalion.

He had just assumed the role of commander of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, between May 18 and May 25, 2026.

Odeh's appointment came after the killing of his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, along with his family members in an IDF strike on May 15.

Before taking charge of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Odeh led Hamas’s military intelligence unit and was considered one of the group’s most seasoned security operatives.

Security analysts believe he may have been among the last remaining senior members of Hamas’s top military leadership after months of Israeli strikes targeting the organisation’s command network.

Reports suggest that he played a vital role in gathering intelligence ahead of the October 7 attacks. His role included collecting inputs on Israeli military bases near the Gaza Strip and identifying vulnerabilities within the IDF’s Gaza Division.

"Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction and wounding of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. We will continue to pursue everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all," said Netanyahu, and Katz said in a joint statement, the news outlet reported.

Israel has been attempting for months to assassinate Odeh. One of the strikes bombed his family home in Gaza in 2025, killing his eldest son, Amr, according to reports.

Odeh's short tenure at Hamas’s military wing highlights how Israeli operations have continued hitting senior commanders, rapidly reducing the leadership pool inside Gaza.

Dr Michael Milshtein, a Palestinian affairs expert, called Odeh experienced but not one who could match Haddad's level.

"Haddad belonged to the group of commanders who turned the military wing into an army over the past two decades, was considered a military leader and was admired by operatives. It is not certain the military wing’s operatives will accept Odeh’s authority the way they accepted Haddad’s," Milshtein said as quoted by Yet Global.