Mohammed Odeh, the commander of Hamas’s armed wing, was killed in an air strike in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, just days after his predecessor died in a comparable operation.

According to local medics and witnesses, at least three Palestinians were killed and dozens injured when the strike hit a residential building in one of the busiest market districts of Gaza City.

Israel’s military and the Shin Bet security agency said the buildings targeted were being used as a hideout by Odeh. Officials stated that his movements had been monitored for months before the attack was carried out.

Hamas has not released an official statement. However, a source within the group and members of Odeh’s family said that he, his wife, and their adult son were killed.

Although Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, near-daily violence has continued across Gaza.

The strike on Tuesday destroyed the top three floors of the al-Kayali building in central Gaza City. The area was crowded with shoppers preparing for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Emergency responders arrived quickly but faced difficulties reaching the upper floors due to severe structural damage and heavy congestion in the surrounding streets.

Witnesses reported that at least five missiles struck the building almost simultaneously from multiple directions.

A local resident said a helicopter was heard hovering overhead shortly before the explosions.

Video footage from the scene showed ambulances and civil defence teams combing through the wreckage as large crowds gathered nearby.

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet said: “As part of the joint operation to eliminate the terrorist Mohammed Odeh, several buildings in the heart of Gaza City that served as his hideout were attacked, following months of intelligence surveillance tracking his movements and those of his aides.”

The statement added that forces also struck “a nearby apartment belonging to a Hamas operative who participated in the October 7 attack and was among Odeh’s close assistants,” referring to the assault on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

A Hamas source later confirmed to the BBC that Odeh and his wife had been killed.

Family members said Odeh’s son succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Wednesday morning. They announced that funeral prayers would be held at a mosque in Gaza City after midday prayers.

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described Odeh as “one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.”

“Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and injury of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the statement said.

Earlier in May, Odeh’s predecessor as head of Hamas’s military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, was also killed in an Israeli air strike.

That operation similarly targeted a residential building and left at least three people dead, according to eyewitness accounts and a local source.

Israel has continued to carry out strikes throughout Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October.

Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and targeting civilians. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 900 people have been killed in Israeli strikes during the truce period.

Israel’s government maintains that it retains the right to strike Hamas members and has accused the group of breaching the ceasefire by refusing to disarm.

Later phases of a US-backed peace initiative for Gaza have not yet been implemented. Progress has stalled following the outbreak of hostilities between the US, Israel, and Iran in February.

In January, the US announced the launch of the second phase of the plan, which envisioned Gaza being administered by a transitional technocratic authority alongside efforts toward demilitarisation and reconstruction.

However, negotiations over disarmament remain at an impasse. Hamas has since reactivated its police force and appears to be reasserting its control in parts of the territory.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel was determined to prevent Hamas from governing Gaza “either civilly or militarily.”

He added that what he termed a “plan for voluntary emigration from Gaza” would be carried out “at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner.”

In his remarks, Netanyahu pledged that Israel would “continue to pursue anyone involved in the October 7 massacre,” adding: “Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”

Approximately 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, and 251 others were taken hostage.

In response, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in Gaza that has devastated much of the territory and displaced many of its 2.1 million residents.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 72,800 people have been killed in Israeli operations since the war began. The United Nations considers the ministry’s casualty figures to be reliable.