Israel confirmed on May 27 that it killed Mohammad Odeh, the newly appointed chief of Hamas’s military wing, in an airstrike conducted the previous day in Gaza. Odeh had been leading the Al-Qassam Brigades for roughly a week before being targeted.

His predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed in an Israeli strike on May 15. The speed at which Israel eliminated both commanders underscores the intensity of its campaign to dismantle Hamas’s operational leadership, a campaign that has now claimed two armed wing chiefs in less than two weeks.

Who was Mohammad Odeh

Odeh was not a newcomer to Hamas’s military apparatus. Israeli officials identified him as the head of Hamas military intelligence during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, the single deadliest day in the country’s history and the event that triggered the current war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz both pointed to Odeh’s role in orchestrating those attacks as central to why he was targeted.

A relative of Odeh confirmed his death to media outlets. Hamas itself has not released an official statement acknowledging the killing.

A pattern of rapid decapitation

Al-Haddad was eliminated on May 15. Odeh took over shortly after. By May 26, Odeh was dead too.

Israel has been systematically targeting Hamas’s command structure since the October 7 attacks. The campaign has extended beyond Gaza into Lebanon, reflecting a broader regional approach to degrading the organization’s ability to coordinate and execute military operations.

Regional implications and what to watch

Netanyahu and Katz’s public statements framing Odeh as an architect of October 7 serve a dual purpose. Domestically, they demonstrate continued progress in what the government has positioned as a war aim: dismantling Hamas’s military capability. Internationally, linking the target to October 7 provides justification for continued operations in Gaza at a time when diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire persists.