{"id":463699,"date":"2026-05-28T03:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T03:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/463699\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T03:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T03:13:11","slug":"hamas-confirms-death-of-military-chief-mohammed-odeh-defiant-funeral-held-in-gaza-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/463699\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamas confirms death of military chief Mohammed Odeh; defiant funeral held in Gaza City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hamas on Wednesday confirmed the death<\/a> of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of the terror group\u2019s military wing, who Israel killed in a strike in Gaza City \\.<\/p>\n

According to the terror group, Odeh\u2019s wife and two of his children were also killed in the Israel Defense Forces\u2019 strike in Gaza City on Tuesday. A funeral for the Hamas leader and his family was held Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Odeh had assumed the top role in Gaza just 11 days before he was killed, after Israel assassinated his predecessor Izz al-Din al-Haddad earlier this month. The terror group\u2019s statement did not say who would succeed Odeh as head of Hamas\u2019s military wing.<\/p>\n

In statements announcing his death on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Odeh was head of Hamas intelligence during the October 7, 2023, attacks, which sparked the war in Gaza. Israel has killed dozens of Hamas leaders and military officials since the start of the war, with the premier and other top officials repeatedly vowing to kill or capture anyone who was involved in attacks.<\/p>\n

The IDF said Odeh played a central role in planning and coordinating the October 7 onslaught and later directed attacks and intelligence operations against troops throughout the war.<\/p>\n

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Sources close to Hamas said Odeh was possibly the last remaining living member of the Hamas armed wing\u2019s higher leadership council from before the war.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tMohammed Odeh, right, along with senior Hamas leaders Rafa\u2019a Salameh, Abu Obeida, and Mohammed Deif, in an undated photo. (Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)<\/p>\n

Odeh, estimated to be in his late 40s to early 50s, grew up in Gaza and was reported to have been involved with Hamas his whole life. In the past, he was involved with the group\u2019s security unit that sought out Israeli spies.<\/p>\n

Israel previously targeted Odeh several times, including a strike on his father\u2019s house in Gaza in 2025 that killed his eldest son, Amr.<\/p>\n

The security agencies described Odeh as one of the last remaining senior Hamas military commanders involved in orchestrating the October 7 massacre, saying his killing deals a \u201csignificant blow\u201d to the group\u2019s efforts to rebuild.<\/p>\n

Family holds funeral, vows Palestinian \u2018struggle will continue\u2019<\/p>\n

The funeral for the slain terror leader and his family members was held in Gaza City, as mourners carried their bodies, covered in white burial shrouds and Hamas flags, past buildings that were bombed out during Israel\u2019s two-year bombardment of the Strip\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n

Two of the bodies had assault rifles on them.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tMourners gather prior to the burial of Hamas leader Mohammed Odeh and his family members, during his their funeral in Gaza City on May 27, 2026. (Omar AL-QATTAA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Abu Al-Abd Odeh, one of Odeh\u2019s relatives, said Israel\u2019s campaign would not stop Palestinians from rising up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis journey will not stop and the struggle of the Palestinian people will continue on all levels,\u201d he said at a mosque in Gaza City during the funeral.<\/p>\n

Gaza health officials say the strike that killed Odeh and his family members left at least three others dead and more than 20 wounded. The strike destroyed the upper floor of an apartment building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.<\/p>\n

Rescue workers dug through the rubble for more possible casualties earlier on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The military posted footage of what it said was the strike that killed Odeh.<\/p>\n

Despite the ceasefire that has been in place in Gaza since October, Israel has kept up its campaign against the perpetrators of the October 7, 2023, massacre, with a report\u00a0<\/a>last week in the Wall Street Journal saying it has created a list of all Palestinians who took part in the attack and is working to kill or arrest each one.<\/p>\n

Along with al-Haddad and Odeh, the IDF\u00a0announced\u00a0last week it killed a Hamas operative who invaded Israel on October 7, without naming him.<\/p>\n

Since the October truce, Israel has killed some 900 Palestinians in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hamas during the same period, the military says.<\/p>\n


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