ByYONAH JEREMY BOBMAY 26, 2026 21:23Updated: MAY 26, 2026 21:52There is a high chance that the IDF succeeded on Tuesday night in assassinating Hamas’s brand new military chief, Mohammed Ouda.Only 11 days after the IDF assassinated his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, on May 15, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that they had attempted the assassination.Sometimes an assessment of success for such an assassination can be fast, but sometimes it can take hours, days, or weeks.A stunningly impressive intelligence accomplishmentIf he were assassinated, he would join Haddad, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Mohammed Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and other top Hamas officials whom Israel has assassinated since October 7, 2023. While his assassination would be a stunningly impressive intelligence accomplishment so soon after killing Haddad, it is far from clear that it will change the strategic picture with Hamas.Senior Hamas officials present in gaza during the October 7 terrorist attacks (updated May 16, 2026). (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)Since the October 2025 ceasefire between the sides, Hamas has agreed to partial disarmament, handing over some heavy weapons, but only if Israel first withdraws from portions of the 53% of Gaza it controls and allows significant rebuilding of Gaza to begin.Israel has insisted on at least partial, if not full, disarmament before it makes such concessions.Ouda served as head of military intelligence for the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades during the October 7 massacre.He was reportedly offered the role of military head after the assassination of Sinwar in May 2025 but turned it down.Next, he was selected as one of the last remaining Hamas high command members who had an active role in planning and supervising the October 7 attack. According to the foreign reports, the only remaining member of Hamas’s core council is home front commander Imad Aqel, who did not participate in the attack.Ouda formerly served under Deif, and his work with Hamas began around the First Intifada that broke out in 1987. Deif headed the Qassam Brigades during the October 7 massacre and was assassinated by Israel in July 2024, after years of failed attempts.Ouda has survived several assassination attempts, before and after the current war, but during most attempts, he was not at the location targeted.Shir Perets contributed to this report.Follow us on Google