The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the elimination of Mohammed Odee, the new head of Hamas' military wing, in a targeted strike on Gaza City, and reported the destruction of 6.8 miles of underground tunnels in Beit Hanoun as part of a broader effort to cripple the militant organization.
The Israel i Defense Forces announced on Tuesday that they had killed Mohammed Odeh , the newly appointed commander of Hamas ' military wing and a senior figure in the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel .
Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X to confirm the operation, stating that Odeh had been "sent to meet his partners in the depths of hell" and praising both the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for the "brilliant execution" of the strike. A joint statement from the IDF and Shin Bet shortly after reiterated the news, adding that a series of precise airstrikes hit terror infrastructure in the heart of Gaza City that Odeh had used as hideouts.
The operation also targeted an apartment belonging to another Hamas operative who had infiltrated Israel on October 7 and was part of Odeh's inner circle. The elimination of Odeh follows a night‑long briefing that included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Katz, during which Israeli officials disclosed that the strike was part of a broader campaign to dismantle the leadership of Hamas.
Odeh, who had taken over the intelligence unit after the death of Izz al‑Din al‑Haddad in a May 15 strike, was accused of orchestrating killings, abductions and injuries of Israeli civilians and soldiers during the October 7 massacre. The official communiqué described him as one of the last senior commanders still active in Hamas' military wing, responsible for planning and executing combat operations against Israeli forces.
Israeli officials vowed that the hunt for all participants in the October 7 attacks would continue until every responsible individual was neutralized. In a related development, the IDF reported on Tuesday that its engineering units had destroyed approximately 6.8 miles of underground tunnel networks in the Beit Hanoun area of northern Gaza.
The operation, carried out by the Northern Brigade and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit under the 252nd Division, involved hundreds of missions to locate and demolish both subterranean passages and above‑ground facilities used by militants. Beit Hanoun, long regarded as a Hamas stronghold, has seen tunnels built beneath homes, schools and roads, providing the group with covert movement and storage capabilities.
During the clearing effort, an additional 1.9 miles of tunnels were collapsed and several Hamas fighters were killed in direct clashes with Israeli troops. The combined strikes on Odeh and the extensive tunnel dismantling represent a significant blow to Hamas' operational capacity and its attempts to rebuild after months of sustained Israeli pressure
Israel Hamas Mohammed Odeh Gaza Tunnels Middle East Conflict
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