Mohammed Odeh: who is the invisible leader of the military wing of Hamas that Israel says it killed

New Israeli raid on Gaza. The declared aim was to kill the new head of the Hamas military wing Mohammed Odeh and the objective, according to the Israeli authorities, was achieved. There is still no …

Mohammed Odeh: who is the invisible leader of the military wing of Hamas that Israel says it killed

New Israeli raid on Gaza. The declared aim was to kill the new head of the Hamas military wing Mohammed Odeh and the objective, according to the Israeli authorities, was achieved. There is still no official announcement from Hamas, but if confirmed, Odeh’s killing would represent a significant blow because he is one of the few leaders in possession of complete knowledge of the military structure and clandestine networks of the movement.

The announcement

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the killing of Mohammed Odeh in Gaza City, saying he was “sent to meet his accomplices in the depths of hell”.

Katz then wanted to express “on behalf of the prime minister and myself, congratulations to the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet for the brilliant execution. We were committed to eliminating all those who led the October 7 massacre and this is happening. They are all dead men walking everywhere.”

According to some sources, Israel had attempted to assassinate Odeh on several occasions. In an attack that targeted his family home in Gaza in 2025, his eldest son, Amr, was killed. According to the Israeli government, the raid took place in an area of โ€‹โ€‹Gaza City considered one of the organization’s main underground coordination nodes.

According to Katz, “the voluntary emigration plan from Gaza will also be implemented, all at the right time and in the right way.”

Mohammed Odeh, invisible “architect” of Hamas

Mohammed Odeh is the “architect” of the Hamas clandestine network, one of the last historical leaders still operational. He is defined as one of the “invisible commanders” of Hamas and the underground war in the Gaza Strip. His is a key role for intelligence: the management of internal security, clandestine communications and coordination between the armed cells of the Strip. The promotion to Hamas military chief is recent, after the elimination of his predecessor Izz al-Din al-Haddad.

His public appearances have always been very rare and his name appeared above all in Israeli intelligence dossiers. Precisely this invisibility would have made him one of the most difficult men to locate during the conflict. Some Israeli sources also indicate him among the leaders involved in the logistical planning of the attacks on 7 October 2023.