IDF Officially Confirms Mohammed Odeh Killed — Second Hamas Qassam Brigades Chief Eliminated in 12 Days

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz formally confirmed on May 27, 2026 that Mohammed Odeh — who had assumed command of Hamas's Qassam Brigades following the May 15 killing of Izz al-Din al-Haddad — was killed in the May 26 Rimal, Gaza City airstrike. Katz said the IDF 'eliminated the new head of Hamas's military wing, barely 11 days after his appointment.' Netanyahu had announced the strike's target on May 26. The confirmation by Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, and Al Jazeera noted that the Qassam Brigades had now lost two consecutive military chiefs to Israeli airstrikes within 12 days — an unprecedented rate of attrition at the top of Hamas's military command. Both strikes occurred in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, pointing to persistent Israeli intelligence penetration of Hamas's command and control infrastructure. Hamas had not yet publicly named a successor as of May 27. The BBC and CBC reported the kills as evidence that Israel's campaign against Hamas leadership continuity had entered a new high-intensity phase despite the October 2025 ceasefire framework. OCHA stated May 26 had been the deadliest single day in Gaza since March 2026, with the Rafah displacement camp strike (45+ killed) and the Rimal strike (6 killed) together driving the post-ceasefire Palestinian death toll past 1,000.