Hamas struggles to fill leadership ranks as Israel hunts Oct 7 terrorists

Just earlier celebrations for Eid al-Adha, a large Muslim holiday, began successful Gaza, an Israeli airstrike deed a gathering successful Gaza City, sidesplitting Mohammed Odeh, the recently appointed caput of Hamas’ subject wing, according to Israeli officials and aboriginal confirmed by Hamas.

Reports from determination media said members of Odeh’s household were besides killed successful the strike. Two hours later, Gaza’s markets were full.

Fox News Digital reviewed video filmed successful Gaza showing crowded Eid streets, children buying and families gathering, with small disposable absorption to the sidesplitting of the Hamas commandant Israel described arsenic 1 of the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks connected Israel. 

The opposition underscored what galore Gazans and analysts picture arsenic a increasing disconnect betwixt Hamas leaders and civilians exhausted by astir 3 years of war, which has killed much than 70,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry — figures that bash not separate betwixt civilians and combatants — and displaced astir of Gaza’s population.

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

Palestinians store astatine a crowded Eid al-Adha marketplace successful Gaza hours aft Israel announced the sidesplitting of Mohammed Odeh, the recently appointed caput of Hamas’ subject wing, successful an airstrike successful Gaza. (Jusoor News)

Hadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of Jusoor News, told Fox News Digital the assassinations are creating "a wide vacuum" wrong Hamas and weakening coordination betwixt leaders successful Gaza and abroad.

"With the deaths of its leaders and the illness of beardown centralized command, Hamas is turning into a smaller militia competing with different equipped groups operating successful Gaza," Oueis said. "Hamas is present warring for survival."

In a associated connection issued Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Odeh, who had replaced elder commandant Izz al-Din al-Haddad lone days earlier, was "one of the architects of the October 7 massacre."

"Sooner oregon later, Israel volition scope each of them," Netanyahu and Katz said.

Palestinian Hamas terrorists basal defender successful Rafah successful the confederate Gaza Strip connected Feb. 22, 2025, during the handover of hostages held since the Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught arsenic portion of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap woody with Israel. (Hatem Khaled/Reuters)

Inside Gaza, respective residents interviewed by Jusoor News said they nary longer viewed the deaths of Hamas leaders arsenic idiosyncratic losses.

"Of people we didn’t consciousness thing erstwhile Haddad, Sinwar, oregon others were killed," 1 Gazan activistic and erstwhile governmental captive told Jusoor News successful an on-camera interview, speaking with his look blurred for information reasons.

The activistic was referring to Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas subject commandant Israel said it killed earlier successful May, and Yahya Sinwar, the erstwhile Hamas person and main designer of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, who was killed by Israeli forces successful confederate Gaza successful October 2024.

"Ordinary radical are the ones who paid the price, not the leaders who made reckless decisions without thinking," the activistic said.

"As a result, Gaza contiguous is astir wholly destroyed," the activistic said. "There are families who person mislaid everything, portion the remaining leaders overseas and wrong proceed to gamble with our lives constantly."

GRASSROOTS PUSH FOR FREEDOM GROWS IN GAZA AS HAMAS TIGHTENS ITS DEADLY GRIP

Palestinians store astatine a crowded Eid al-Adha marketplace successful Gaza hours aft Israel announced the sidesplitting of Mohammed Odeh, the recently appointed caput of Hamas’ subject wing, successful an airstrike successful Gaza. (Credit: Jusoor News)

A Gaza-based writer echoed the frustration. 

"When we heard astir the sidesplitting of Izz al-Din Haddad oregon others, we were not affected," the writer said. "What is adjacent much achy is that the children of the leaders unrecorded extracurricular Gaza, successful Turkey and Qatar, driving luxury cars and surviving comfy lives, portion radical present person astir gone backmost to the Stone Age."

Another Gaza writer and quality rights advocator told Jusoor Hamas had harmed Palestinians arsenic overmuch arsenic Israelis. 

"I bash not spot the deaths of the leaders arsenic losses for the Palestinians, due to the fact that we mean radical are the ones who paid the price," the advocator said. "Honestly, Hamas did not lone wounded the Israelis — they wounded america arsenic well."

At the aforesaid time, Israeli analysts caution that the repeated assassinations bash not needfully mean Hamas is adjacent to collapse.

Michael Milshtein, an adept connected the Palestinian arena, told Fox News Digital that Hamas unquestionably has suffered terrible harm since Oct. 7, 2023, peculiarly with the deaths of seasoned commanders who helped physique the organization’s subject operation and doctrine.

ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS

Palestinians store astatine a crowded Eid al-Adha marketplace successful Gaza (Jusoor News)

"Almost cipher remains from the halfway radical that planned and led the October 7 attack," helium said.

But helium noted that Odeh himself had been viewed mostly arsenic a second-tier fig earlier the warfare alternatively than an evident successor to Hamas’ historical subject leadership.

"The radical replacing them are acold little experienced, little susceptible and acold little charismatic," Milshtein said.

Still, helium argued, Hamas continues to support functioning chains of bid and ideological cohesion contempt the losses.

"People cognize they are apt going to die, and they inactive vie for these enactment positions," helium said.

The statement implicit Hamas’ aboriginal comes arsenic planetary efforts to signifier a postwar governmental model for Gaza accelerate.

TRUMP-BACKED BOARD OF PEACE, ISRAEL 'WILL TAKE ACTION' IF HAMAS REMAINS OUT OF COMPLIANCE: NETANYAHU ADVISOR

Hamas militants carried coffins believed to incorporate the bodies of 4 Israeli hostages during a handover to the Red Cross successful Khan Yunis, Gaza, connected Feb. 20, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

Nickolay Mladenov, who was appointed High Representative for Gaza nether the Board of Peace initiative, published the halfway elements of a projected 15-point "Roadmap to Complete the Implementation of President Trump’s Gaza Comprehensive Peace Plan."

The connection includes a phased Hamas disarmament process, internationally supervised information reforms and the constitution of "one authority, 1 law, 1 weapon" wrong Gaza.

"Gaza cannot retrieve portion equipped groups simultaneously run arsenic governing authorities," Mladenov wrote portion outlining the connection connected societal media.

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Displaced Palestinians, including families and children, hold successful enactment to person blistery meals distributed by charities up of iftar successful Khan Yunis, Gaza. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu)

For galore Gazans exhausted by years of war, displacement and destruction, the deaths of Hamas leaders present look to transportation little affectional value than the anticipation that the struggle itself could yet end.

"Gaza cannot stay hostage to the thought of imperishable warfare portion civilians unsocial wage the full price," 1 activistic said.