The highest-ranking Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip survived a weekend airstrike, the Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday following media reports.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan named the man as Ali al-Omari and said he was seen as a leading candidate in the planned secret election of a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip. According to the military, he is the deputy chairman of the political bureau of th Palestinian militant organization in Gaza.
At least five people were killed in the Israeli attack, according to Palestinian emergency responders. Medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said at least five other people were injured, some seriously, in the attack on an apartment in a building in western Gaza City.
According to the Israeli military, al-Omari served as the right-hand man of Hamas leader Yehya al-Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip in October 2024. It named the man as Ali Ahmed al-Amoudi.
The military said he had been involved in decisions concerning the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. Israel said it carried out the strike while al-Omari was in an apartment that Hamas was using for terrorist activities. The claims could not be independently verified.
It said he was “directly involved in Hamas’ terror activities and in rebuilding the organization for war.”