Israeli airstrike kills Hamas commander in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Tuesday killed a man identified by Israeli authorities as the newly appointed commander of Hamas’s military wing, marking the second such targeted killing in less than two weeks. The strike, which occurred on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday, also resulted in additional Palestinian casualties and underscored the fragility of a ceasefire that has been in place since last October.

Israeli officials stated that the operation targeted and killed Mohammed Odeh, whom they described as the head of Hamas’s intelligence division during the group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. They said Odeh had been appointed to lead the group’s armed wing roughly a week earlier, succeeding Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was killed in an Israeli strike on May 16. In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Odeh was one of the architects of the 2023 attacks. Katz later wrote online that Israel was committed to eliminating everyone who led the October 7 massacre and that Hamas would not hold civilian or military rule in Gaza.

Hamas has not officially commented on Odeh’s status or confirmed his appointment. However, a...