[67576] Hamas has appointed a new commander for the military wing following the elimination of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad
[67576] Hamas has appointed a new commander for the military wing following the elimination of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad
Following the elimination of Izz ad-Din al-Haddad this past weekend, the terrorist organization Hamas chose Mohammed Odeh, the former head of military intelligence headquarters, for the role of military wing commander.
A new commander for Hamas's military wing: Mohammed Odeh will replace al-Haddad
According to reports in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Hamas has appointed Mohammed Odeh as commander of the organization's military wing. The appointment comes following the elimination of his predecessor in the role, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, in an IDF strike last Friday. According to reports, Odeh is considered the "natural successor" to al-Haddad, as he served as head of the organization's military intelligence headquarters and was particularly close to him regarding "renewing the organizational structure of the military wing" (Amit Segal, Kan 11).
Sources in Hamas quoted in Asharq Al-Awsat stated that Odeh, a native of the Jabalia refugee camp, was one of the members of the military council who took an active part in planning the October 7 massacre and in gathering intelligence on IDF bases in the Gaza envelope. It was further reported that after the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar about a year ago, the role was offered to Odeh but he refused, and his selection now marks his rise as the most senior figure remaining from the original military council leadership.
In the detailed report by Kan 11 - Palestinian Arab Desk, it was emphasized that in practice "there is no one to compete against Odeh for the role of military wing commander," since most of the senior command echelon has been eliminated during the war. The channel notes that Odeh was responsible in the past for exploiting espionage equipment that was captured following the thwarting of secret IDF force activity in 2018.
Additional sources, including Hadashot Me'hashetach and Suleiman & Blumenthal, confirmed the details of the appointment. Military experts and commentators note that Odeh appears in IDF archive photographs alongside senior officials who were eliminated, including Mohammed Deif and Rafa'a Salameh, which now makes him the "next target for elimination" in the Gaza Strip.