Israeli forces have confirmed the killing of senior Hamas military chief Mohammed Odeh, a key architect of the October 7 atrocities and former head of the terror groups intelligence apparatus, in what officials describe as a decisive step in a long-term campaign to dismantle Hamass leadership.
According to Breitbart, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that Odeh had been eliminated just 11 days after Israel killed his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, underscoring the relentless pace of Israels targeted operations. Katzs confirmation followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus statement the previous evening that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet internal security agency had struck Odeh in Gaza City after months of intensive intelligence monitoring of his movements and those of his operatives.
The IDF and Shin Bet identified Odeh as one of the last surviving senior Hamas commanders directly involved in orchestrating the October 7 massacre, in which Hamas terrorists murdered roughly 1,200 people and abducted 251 others, most of them civilians. Israeli officials have repeatedly stressed that the attack constituted the deadliest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust, a grim benchmark that continues to shape Israels military and political posture.
The fourth commander of Hamass military wing to be eliminated during the war was sent to join his partners in the depths of hell, Katz declared, praising the brilliant execution of the joint IDFShin Bet operation. He further vowed that Israels campaign would not stop until every perpetrator of the October 7 atrocities is brought to justice, stating, We committed to eliminating everyone who led the October 7 massacre, and that is what we will do. They are all marked for death everywhere.
Military officials said Israeli forces struck several buildings in central Gaza City that Odeh allegedly used as hideouts, locations identified after months of intelligence work tying him and his operational network to those sites. At the same time, Israeli forces targeted a nearby apartment belonging to another Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel on October 7 and was considered part of Odehs inner operational circle, further degrading the groups remaining command infrastructure.
Before ascending to the top military post, Odeh served as head of Hamass intelligence headquarters and was regarded as one of the principal planners of the October 7 massacre. He oversaw intelligence collection and operational coordination for the attack and subsequent assaults on Israeli troops throughout the war, making him a central figure in Hamass war machine rather than a peripheral operative.
The IDF said Odeh recently assumed command of Hamass military wing after Israel killed al-Haddad in a May 15 strike, illustrating how quickly Israel has moved to target successive leaders. Odeh is one of the last senior commanders in Hamas military wing who took part in the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre and the management of combat operations against IDF troops, the IDF and Shin Bet stated, adding, His elimination constitutes a significant blow to the Hamas terrorist organizations rehabilitation efforts.
Israeli media later reported that Odeh was the 15th of 16 senior Hamas-Gaza military figures tied to the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre to be eliminated since the war began. That leaves only one senior commander from the original leadership echelon still alive, a fact Israeli officials say demonstrates the effectiveness of a sustained, intelligence-driven campaign rather than the proportionate but often ineffective responses favored by Western diplomatic elites.
The military subsequently released footage it said depicted the strike that killed Odeh in Gaza City, reinforcing Israels message that its operations are precise and intelligence-based. Israeli officials have increasingly framed the campaign against Hamas leadership as part of a broader, long-term effort to hold every individual involved in the October 7 atrocities personally accountable, rejecting international pressure for premature concessions that could allow Hamas to regroup.
A recent Wall Street Journal report revealed that Israel established a secret elite task force known as NILI shortly after the massacre, tasked with identifying, tracking, killing, or capturing every terrorist involved in the attack. The units mandate extends from senior Hamas commanders to individual infiltrators who crossed into southern Israel during the onslaught, reflecting a doctrine that no perpetrator should be shielded by rank, geography, or time.
According to that report, Israeli intelligence agencies built a database containing thousands of names tied to the massacre, using facial recognition technology, intercepted communications, cellphone location data, social media footage, and interrogations of captured terrorists. Israeli officials involved in the operation reportedly insisted that no participant is deemed too insignificant to escape accountability, a stance that stands in stark contrast to the leniency and moral relativism often promoted by international institutions.
Odehs death came just 11 days after Israel eliminated al-Haddad, who had himself taken over Hamass military wing following the deaths of Mohammed Sinwar and longtime Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. Israeli officials have described these successive eliminations as part of a deliberate strategy to dismantle Hamass remaining command structure and prevent the terror group from rebuilding its military capabilities, even amid an ongoing ceasefire framework.
Later on Wednesday, the IDF announced it had also struck two additional senior Hamas commanders in northern Gaza, identified as northern Gaza brigade commander Izz al-Din Bik and Imad Aslim, deputy commander of the Gaza City Brigade and commander of the Zeitoun Battalion. These strikes further underscored Israels determination to pursue Hamass leadership wherever it operates, despite mounting international criticism that often ignores the scale and barbarity of the October 7 crimes.
For Israel, the methodical removal of Hamass top brass is not merely a tactical achievement but a strategic message that mass murder of civilians will not be met with diplomatic platitudes or symbolic gestures. As the list of surviving October 7 planners dwindles, Israeli leaders are signaling that justice for the victims will be pursued to the last man, even as much of the global left pressures Jerusalem to halt operations and accept a terrorist regime on its border as a permanent reality.
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