Israeli Strike Targets Hamas Gaza Leader Ali al-Amoudi; His Fate Unclear

Israel carried out an overnight strike on an apartment in western Gaza City in the early hours of Saturday, October 3, 2026, in an attempt to kill Ali al-Amoudi, the IDF and Shin Bet said, according to Reuters and The Times of Israel. The IDF described Amoudi as deputy chairman of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza and "the most senior Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip"; Reuters said Hamas sources describe him as leader of the Hamas political office in Gaza. The strike killed at least five people, including four women, according to local health and civil defense officials and the local church, Reuters reported. Palestinian media identified two of the dead as a mother and daughter from Gaza's Greek Orthodox community, The Times of Israel reported.

The IDF said Amoudi was in an apartment used for terror activity inside a residential building and that it took steps to minimize harm to civilians; it said the results of the strike were under review. As of The Times of Israel's October 3 report it was unclear whether Amoudi was killed; he had not been named among the dead in Palestinian media. Legal Insurrection reported on October 4 that there was still no confirmation. We could not find a Hamas statement on his fate.

The IDF says Amoudi was Yahya Sinwar's right-hand man and personal aide, involved in decision-making for the October 7, 2023 attack, and took part in a 1993 attack in which four Israelis were killed and a 1994 incident in Ramallah in which Shin Bet agent Noam-Menachem Cohen was killed. He was freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, The Times of Israel reported. He has emerged as a central figure since Sinwar's killing and is competing with Hamas official Nizar Awadallah to be Hamas's Gaza political chief, a contest that has yet to produce a winner after an inconclusive first round, the paper said. Israel has continued strikes in Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire, which the IDF says aim to thwart attacks by Hamas and other militants; Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 1,400 people have been killed since the truce.

Sources

Reuters via Just Security, Early Edition: October 5, 2026 (citing Reuters, Israeli strike kills four people in Gaza, medics say, October 3, 2026), justsecurity.org The Times of Israel, IDF strike on Hamas's Gaza chief kills 5, including mother and daughter; his fate unclear, October 3, 2026, timesofisrael.com The Times of Israel, IDF says it targeted senior Hamas official Ali al-Amoudi in Gaza City strike that killed 5 people, October 3, 2026, timesofisrael.com Legal Insurrection, Israel Targets Hamas Terror Chief Al-Amoudi in Gaza Strike, October 4, 2026, legalinsurrection.com