Israel targeted the new leader of Hamas’s military wing in a Gaza airstrike late Tuesday after he filled his late predecessor’s shoes about one week ago.
Mohammed Odeh was attacked, but Israeli officials did not say if he was killed. A statement from the prime minister’s office said he was “struck.” Typically, the Israeli military says a target was “eliminated” if they died from a strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the operation.
Odeh replaced Ezzedine al Haddad, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza less than two weeks ago. Odeh led Hamas’s intelligence staff during the massacre and abduction of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Israel.
“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement before commending the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Air Force for executing the operation.
“We will continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre,” the office added. “Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”
Earlier Tuesday, the IDF shared a video revealing that about 11 kilometers, or nearly seven miles, of underground tunnel routes used by Hamas in northern Gaza were “dismantled.”
DISMANTLED: ~11km of underground tunnel routes east of the Yellow Line in the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza.
The area served as a central Hamas terrorist stronghold. An underground network built beneath residential homes, public institutions & roads, and used by the… pic.twitter.com/5B5IqPJWrj
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 26, 2026
Initial reports from Gaza said a residential building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City was struck, according to the Times of Israel. The number of people killed and wounded remains unconfirmed.
The overnight operation that struck Odeh is the latest example of Israel taking military action amid heightened tensions with its neighbors in the Middle East. On Monday, the Israeli military resumed bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon as peace talks for the Iran war continue.
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In a social media post on Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel has killed more than 700 Hezbollah terrorists since entering a tentative ceasefire with Lebanon last month. The Israeli military and Hezbollah have both carried out ceasefire violations.
Israeli and Lebanese officials are set to meet at the Pentagon on Friday to discuss the ceasefire. A broader peace deal with Iran has not been made yet. The United States is leading the negotiations with Iran, while Israel is largely sidelined from those discussions.