Day 954: Hamas Appoints Mohammed Odeh as New Military Chief — October 7 Intelligence Planner Succeeds Killed al-Haddad as Al-Qassam Brigades Commander

On May 18, 2026 (Day 954 / Ceasefire Day 221), Hamas announced the appointment of Mohammed Odeh (also reported as Mohammed Ouda) as the new head of the Al-Qassam Brigades and Gaza military chief, three days after the IDF killed his predecessor Izz al-Din al-Haddad in a precision airstrike on May 15–16. Odeh had served as Hamas's military intelligence chief and was a member of the Supreme Military Council during the planning of the October 7, 2023 attack — reports described him as instrumental in gathering pre-attack intelligence on IDF bases near Gaza, including mapping the vulnerabilities that enabled the fence breaches. He was reportedly offered the military commander role following Yahya Sinwar's assassination in October 2024 but declined at that time. Odeh was described as having worked closely with al-Haddad on Hamas's post-October 7 organizational rebuilding inside Gaza. His appointment signals Hamas's ability to continue regenerating military command succession despite the IDF's sustained targeted killing campaign, which has eliminated all other known senior October 7 planners: Sinwar (October 2024), Mohammed Sinwar, Mohammed Deif (July 2024), Iyad Shambari (April 2026), and now al-Haddad (May 2026). Odeh's background in military intelligence — including his role in the operational planning of October 7 — makes him a prime target for the IDF's ongoing campaign. Israeli officials had not publicly responded to the appointment announcement as of May 18. Netanyahu had declared on May 17 that Israel was 'close to killing all architects of October 7,' suggesting Odeh may now be among the remaining targets. The appointment also came against the backdrop of ongoing Hamas internal elections, with Gazan members reportedly backing Khaled Meshaal for overall movement leadership, while Khalil al-Hayya was elected Hamas leader specifically in Gaza.