Israeli Media Reports Attempted Assassination of Hamas Leader Ali al-Amoudi

Israeli media reported on Saturday that the Israeli military attempted to assassinate Hamas leader Ali al-Amoudi during a strike on Gaza City. The outcome of the attack and al-Amoudi's fate remain unknown. Channel 12 described al-Amoudi as the current "man running the Gaza Strip." An Israeli official told Kan 11 that al-Amoudi was inside the targeted apartment and that his chances of survival were slim. Hamas has not yet confirmed al-Amoudi's fate or the Israeli account of his presence at the targeted location.

Al-Amoudi is considered a prominent Hamas leader in Gaza and was close to former political bureau chief Yahya Sinwar. Before the war in October 2023, he headed the movement's media department. He was released from Israeli detention in the 2011 prisoner exchange deal and his responsibilities within Hamas expanded following the deaths of several leaders during the current war. After the deaths of Sinwar and his deputy Rouhi Moustaha in 2024, al-Amoudi became deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, a role previously held by Khalil al-Hayya. Reports indicate al-Amoudi later took over managing the movement's affairs in the Strip, acting as interim head until a new leader is elected, following al-Hayya's election as head of Hamas's political bureau in July.

Israeli media claimed al-Amoudi is effectively leading Hamas in Gaza through an "emergency government committee," a temporary role he assumed after al-Hayya became head of the political bureau. The reports of the assassination attempt come after five Palestinians, including four women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment west of Gaza City early Saturday. The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza identified two of the deceased as Maysa Khader Abu Daoud and her daughter Marie Hafez Abu Daoud. Palestinian medical sources confirmed the casualty toll.

These strikes are part of ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025. Since the agreement began, over 1,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,000 injured.