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Israel: New Hamas Military Le 05/27 07:37
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Israel said Wednesday it targeted and
killed the new leader of Hamas' military wing during airstrikes in Gaza City
less than two weeks after killing his predecessor.
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Israeli military said the
strikes carried out Tuesday killed Mohammed Odeh. Hamas did not comment on Odeh.
At least five people were killed and 12 injured in Tuesday's strike on a
market including Odeh, his wife, son and daughter and another woman, local
hospitals said. The attack came on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim
holiday.
Thousands of people gathered Wednesday for the joint funeral of Odeh's
family in Gaza City. Mourners covered the four bodies with green Hamas flags
and marched from a mosque through the city, chanting and firing shots in the
air. Some carried posters with Odeh's poster emblazoned with the words "one of
the chiefs of staffs of the Qassam Brigades," referring to Hamas' military wing.
Katz called him "one of the architects" of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that
triggered over two years of war in Gaza and said it was the fourth time Israel
has killed the head of Hamas' military wing since that massacre. Izz al-Din
al-Haddad, the previous head, was killed on May 16.
"We pledged to eliminate everyone who led the October 7 massacre and this is
what we will do: they are all bound to die, everywhere," Katz wrote on X on
Wednesday. "We pledged that Hamas will not hold civilian or military rule."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is preparing for elections in the
fall, also threatened that Israel will target everyone involved in the Oct. 7,
2023, attack.
A grim Eid in Gaza
The attack came as Muslims prepared for Eid al-Adha, normally a joyous time
of family gatherings and large meals.
The holiday once again is subdued this year in Gaza, where the vast majority
of people remain displaced and live in tents or temporary shelters after a
devastating war. Around 90% of Gaza's more than 2 million people have lost
their homes, according to U.N. estimates, with most of them now sheltering in
huge tent camps with rat infestations and pools of sewage. They are dependent
on aid to survive.
Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice," is an Islamic holiday celebrated by
millions of Muslims across the globe. The four-day holiday, which begins during
the Hajj pilgrimage, also is known for being a joyous occasion during which
families gather, and children are given new clothes and gifts.
"This is not Eid ... we're dead," said Mahmoud Saqer, a displaced man from
Khan Younis, who described people as being distressed by the ongoing human
suffering and killings in the territory.
In Khan Younis and Gaza City, amid destroyed buildings, including a ruined
mosque, people gathered for Eid prayers with few signs of celebration beyond a
few clusters of balloons lining one street. Tahrir al-Khatib said the joy that
accompanies Eid has been silenced in Gaza.
"There's no Eid. My children were killed. Eid is only for the people who
lost no one," said Ayda Al-Banna, a displaced women from Gaza City, who prayed
Eid prayers with her granddaughter.
Fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza
A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October remains fragile.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 880 Palestinians since the ceasefire took
effect. Israel says its attacks are in response to violations by Hamas or
threats to its soldiers, but Palestinian health officials say scores of
civilians have been among the dead. Four Israeli soldiers have also been killed
during this period in Gaza.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks in
October 2023, which killed some 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says over 72,803 Palestinians have
been killed by Israeli fire. The ministry, part of Gaza's Hamas government,
does not give a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths. ___
Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled contributed from Cairo.
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