The IDF attempted to kill Ali al-Amoudi, Yahya Sinwar’s successor as Hamas’s leader in the Gaza Strip, during an operation on Saturday morning that included attacks by helicopters and tanks.
According to security sources cited by Kan News, Almoudi was in the apartment complex targeted by the IDF, with the chances of him surviving the strike being “very slim.”
At around 8 a.m., reports said that the IDF had opened fire with an attack helicopter and tanks at suspicious targets that approached the Yellow Line. It later emerged that the target of the operation was Hamas’s current leader in Gaza.
Later on Saturday, the IDF released a statement confirming that it had targeted Almoudi in Gaza, saying that the results of the strike are "under review."
The military described Almoudi as "the most senior Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip," attributing several terrorist attacks to his involvement, including the October 7 massacre.
Amoudi was released from an Israeli prison in the 2011 Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange after serving nearly 20 years.
Following his release, he was elected to Hamas’s political bureau and served as the head of Yahya Sinwar’s office – with whom he had been imprisoned and who was also released in the Schalit deal.
Amoudi subsequently became one of Sinwar’s closest associates.
Before he was appointed Sinwar’s successor, Amoudi had been responsible for leading the Palestinian propaganda apparatus during the war. His campaign, as previously noted, achieved considerable success in Europe and the United States.
Al-Amoudi's rise after Sinwar's death
A leadership vacuum emerged after Sinwar was killed in October 2024. Several surviving senior Hamas officials then assumed control of the Strip, led by Amoudi, who became the enclave’s de facto leader while remaining absent from the public’s awareness.
He formally took over the position in July.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.