Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

The head of Hamas’ armed wing, Mohammed Odeh, was buried in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after being killed in an Israeli strike just days after his appointment. A longtime intelligence operative, his death has created another leadership void in the Palestinian militant group. 

Hamas confirmed Odeh’s death in a statement on Wednesday, saying he had been killed the night prior. Hamas described Odeh as a longtime member who had "clear imprints in all stages” of its work, including the 2023 attacks in Israel, the Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency reported. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Wednesday that Odeh had been killed. The Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network posted footage of his funeral in Gaza City. 

The strike on a market in Gaza City that killed Odeh also killed his wife, his son, his daughter and another woman, the Associated Press reported. 

Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire deal last October that called for an end to hostilities, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the disarmament of the Palestinian group, among other terms. The agreement has yet to be fully implemented and the Israeli military continues to carry out strikes in Gaza. 

Who was Odeh? Odeh headed Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, at the time of his death. He had only been in the position for 11 days, having taken over after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed in a May 15 strike. 

Odeh was born in Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp in 1974, according to local news reports. He joined Hamas upon its founding in 1987 and was a longtime member of al-Qassam’s intelligence service. Before working in intelligence, he served in Hamas’ internal security service, Majd. 

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee described Odeh on Wednesday as “one of the last senior leaders in Hamas' military wing” who helped plan and coordinate the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

Odeh was the fourth person to serve as Hamas' military leader since the start of the Gaza war. Haddad succeeded Mohammed Sinwar, brother of the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in May of last year. Before Haddad, Mohammed Deif had served as Hamas’ military leader since the early 2000s. He was killed by Israel in 2024 but Hamas did not confirm his death until the following year. 

What’s next? Israel has killed dozens of senior Hamas commanders in Gaza, making it unclear who will succeed Odeh. The European Council on Foreign Relations’ Mapping Palestinian Politics database identifies Fayez Baroud, Imad Aqel and Mahmoud Issa as three high-ranking members of the brigades who are believed to be still alive. Baroud is a senior commander and Aqel is the current head of intelligence, while Issa is a longtime Hamas member who previously ran a cell in Jerusalem, according to the council. 

Issa was released from prison last October as part of a hostage and prisoner exchange with Israel. He is currently living in Cairo, according to the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center. 

The Israeli news outlet i24 identified Aqel as a potential successor to Odeh. The outlet also listed senior Gaza-based commanders Hussein Fayyad, Haitham al-Hawajri and Nafez Sabih as possible candidates.