Hamas Claims Senior Leader Survived Israeli Assassination Attempt in Gaza

A senior Hamas official, Raazi Hamad, stated on Sunday night that Ali al-Amodi, a prominent figure within the organization in the Gaza Strip, survived an Israeli assassination attempt targeting him over the weekend. "Reports reaching us confirm that al-Amodi survived the assassination attempt," Hamad told Saudi channel Al-Arabiya, criticizing Israel's policy of targeted killings as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and potentially leading to its collapse. Hamad also blamed Washington, urging the U.S. to pressure Israel to cease such operations.

The assassination attempt occurred on Saturday when the Israeli Air Force struck a building in western Gaza City. Palestinian reports indicated that five people were killed and others injured in the strike. Even before the official confirmation from Hamad, Hamas sources had expressed doubt about the success of the operation.

Al-Amodi is considered a close associate and right-hand man of Yahya Sinwar, and many view him as a potential successor. He was previously imprisoned in Israel from 1994, serving a life sentence, and was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. Currently, he is a member of Hamas's political bureau and is reportedly a contender for its leadership in Gaza, his standing having been bolstered by the elimination of other senior figures.

The Israeli military stated that al-Amodi was involved in planning the October 7th attack. He is considered one of the senior Hamas leaders remaining in Gaza and effectively leads the organization there through a body known as the "Governmental Emergency Committee." He assumed this role temporarily after Khalil al-Haya, previously the head of Hamas in Gaza, was appointed to lead the organization's political bureau. Recent Arab media reports suggested that Hamas was expected to hold elections for leadership positions soon. Al-Amodi was also previously involved in Hamas's information and media operations.