Israel is continuing to demonstrate that October 7 has fundamentally changed the rules of the war against Hamas.
Overnight, the IDF carried out a targeted strike against Ali al-Amoudi, one of the most senior remaining Hamas figures inside the Gaza Strip. The military confirmed the operation while emphasizing that the results of the strike are still being assessed.
According to the IDF, al-Amoudi is not simply another Hamas political official. He served as the right-hand man and personal aide of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and was involved in Hamas decision-making surrounding the October 7 massacre.
Today, the IDF describes him as the most senior Hamas figure currently operating inside Gaza and says he is directly involved in terrorist activity and efforts to rebuild Hamas for another war.
That last point is critical.
Israel cannot allow Hamas to use periods of reduced fighting to reconstruct the military infrastructure destroyed by the IDF. October 7 demonstrated the catastrophic consequences of allowing a jihadist organization on Israel’s border to build forces, develop operational plans and prepare for the next attack.
Al-Amoudi’s history reportedly stretches back decades. The IDF says he was involved in the murder of four Israelis in Judea and Samaria in 1993 and in a 1994 incident in Ramallah in which Shin Bet agent Noam-Menachem Cohen was killed.
Palestinian media reported that the Gaza City strike killed five people, including four women. According to the IDF, al-Amoudi was staying in an apartment used for terrorist activity inside a residential building. The military says precautions were taken to minimize civilian casualties.
That circumstance again exposes one of the central realities of this war: Hamas embeds its leadership and terrorist infrastructure within Gaza’s civilian environment, forcing Israel to confront military targets in densely populated areas.
The broader message from Israel should remain consistent.
The architects of October 7 cannot simply disappear into apartments, tunnels or foreign capitals and wait for international pressure to end the war.
Whether al-Amoudi survived this particular strike remains under review.
But Israel’s strategic objective should not be.
Hamas cannot be permitted to rebuild. Its leadership cannot be granted immunity. October 7 must never happen again.