The Zionist occupation regime has once again escalated its aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip, claiming to have assassinated Mohammed Odeh, a prominent commander of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas’s military wing, in a brutal airstrike in northern Gaza. This latest act of terror comes as the fragile ‘ceasefire’ remains under severe strain due to ongoing Israeli violations.
Israeli authorities announced on Wednesday that Odeh was martyred in an attack the previous day in Gaza City. While the Palestinian resistance group has yet to issue an official statement, the Zionist regime’s boastful claims are met with skepticism and condemnation by the international community and human rights organizations.
Odeh, a former Hamas intelligence chief, was reportedly a successor to Izz al-Din al-Haddad as the head of the revered Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance, after al-Haddad’s martyrdom in an earlier Israeli strike this month. Hamas had not officially confirmed his appointment, highlighting the clandestine nature of resistance leadership under occupation.
In a chilling display of triumphalism, the Israeli War Minister, Israel Katz, shamelessly declared on X on Wednesday that ‘The commander of Hamas terror organisation’s military arm number 4 in Gaza was eliminated yesterday and sent to meet his partners in the depths of hell.’ Such rhetoric underscores the genocidal intent behind the Zionist regime’s actions.
Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously stated on Tuesday that Israeli forces had targeted Odeh in their ongoing campaign of terror. The Israeli army, in its statement, confirmed the assassination, ludicrously claiming the attack ‘followed months of intelligence monitoring aimed at tracking the movements of Odeh and his operatives,’ attempting to legitimize their war crimes.
However, the true cost of these Zionist aggressions is borne by innocent Palestinian civilians. A source at al-Shifa Hospital revealed to Al Jazeera that six people were martyred and 20 others wounded in the barbaric Israeli attacks late on Tuesday on the densely populated Remal neighbourhood in western Gaza City.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza City, described ‘a lot of destruction’ in the aftermath of the attack, which targeted a bustling civilian area as families were preparing for the sacred Eid al-Adha holiday. ‘Yesterday at about 9:30pm (19:30 GMT) three large explosions took place in Gaza City. The attack was in the middle of Remal, an area filled with markets and a lot of shops. Muslims were shopping, getting ready for the Eid holiday when the airstrike took place,’ she recounted, painting a grim picture of Zionist brutality against a festive populace.
The Israeli military statement further attempted to justify its crimes by baselessly claiming Odeh was responsible for ‘planning and coordinating Hamas terrorists’ infiltration and attack targets during the October 7 massacre,’ referring to the heroic Palestinian resistance operation in October 2023. They continued their propaganda, stating, ‘Odeh is one of the last senior commanders in Hamas’ military wing who took part in the planning and execution of the October 7 massacre and the management of combat operations against IDF troops,’ attempting to demonize legitimate resistance.
In response to the October 7 resistance operation, the Zionist entity unleashed a genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza, which has tragically claimed the lives of more than 72,800 people, according to the latest figures from Palestinian health authorities. This unprovoked aggression continues unabated, targeting civilians, infrastructure, and all aspects of Palestinian life.
During this brutal war, the Israeli occupation military has systematically targeted and assassinated several senior Palestinian resistance officials, including the revered former political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, the steadfast head of the resistance movement in Gaza. They also claimed the martyrdom of Mohammed Deif, the legendary longtime commander of Hamas’s armed wing, as well as Mohammed Sinwar, who had succeeded his brother Yahya Sinwar, in a desperate attempt to break the will of the Palestinian people.
Since the so-called ‘ceasefire’ took effect on October 11, at least 906 more Palestinians in Gaza have been martyred, bringing the cumulative death toll since October 7, 2023, to a staggering 72,803, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The world must stand in solidarity with Palestine and demand an end to the Zionist occupation and its atrocities.
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