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.