Three days after the assassination of Hamas’ military chief in Gaza, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Iran-backed terrorist group has chosen his successor, three Hamas officials told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday.
According to the report, Mohammed Odeh, a close aide to Haddad, was chosen to lead the group’s military wing. Odeh was in continuous contact with Haddad, especially during an “organizational restructuring” process carried out after the killings of former Hamas military commanders Mohammed Deif and Mohammed Sinwar.
Odeh is one of the few senior Hamas military commanders still alive from the time of the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. He headed Hamas’ intelligence headquarters at the time of the massacre. The IDF first released his photo last September.
After Mohammed Sinwar was killed in May 2025, Odeh was offered the post of Hamas military chief but refused, leading to Haddad’s appointment, the report said. Two other sources, however, said they did not have confirmed information about the offer or Odeh’s refusal.
The sources said Odeh now has few serious rivals for the role because of his senior standing in the terrorist organization’s military council and the weakening of its other members during the war.
Odeh reportedly took command of Hamas’ northern Gaza brigade after Ahmed Ghandor was killed in November 2023. He may also have received additional powers, including those held by Raad Saad, who was described as Hamas’ chief of staff before he was killed in an Israeli strike last December.
Hamas’ military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad's funeral in Gaza City
In a photo released by the IDF showing senior Hamas military commanders in Gaza at the time of the Oct. 7 attack, Odeh is the only one who has not been killed, apart from Emad Akel, head of Hamas’ home front headquarters in Gaza.
A senior Hamas official confirmed to Reuters over the weekend that Haddad was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on Friday in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. His wife and daughter were also killed. His body was identified by family members, mosques announced his death and his funeral began shortly afterward.
Odeh has been mentioned as having survived several assassination attempts during the war and before it. He is also described as a figure who has operated under constant threat.