Israel Kills Hamas Military Chief Muhammad Odeh in Gaza

The operation was carried out on the instructions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, according to a statement posted by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on X.

Odeh had served as the head of Hamas’s intelligence staff during the October 7, 2023 attacks and was appointed around a week ago to replace Ezzedine al-Haddad, who was killed in an earlier Israeli strike in Gaza two weeks ago.

According to Israel, Odeh was responsible for the killing, abduction and injury of several Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

Netanyahu also confirmed the operation in a post on X, vowing to target all those involved in the October 7 attacks.

“We have now struck Muhammad Odeh — the leader of Hamas’s military wing and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre. We will get to all of them,” Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, Israel continued carrying out air strikes in southern Lebanon following an escalation in operations against Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reported.

According to the report, multiple air strikes hit towns including Burj Rahal, Kawthariyat al-Ruz, Srifa, as-Sawana and Qabrikha in southern Lebanon.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon killed 31 people and injured 40 others on Tuesday.

The escalation comes after Netanyahu on Sunday instructed the Israeli military to intensify operations against Hezbollah following increased drone attacks and signals from US officials that Washington would support broader action against the Iran-backed group, according to The Times of Israel.

“We are at war with Hezbollah. Just in recent weeks, our brave fighters have eliminated more than 600 terrorists,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.

“But we are not taking our foot off the gas. On the contrary, I have instructed them to press the pedal even harder,” he added.