{"id":10194,"date":"2026-05-28T17:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:32:24","slug":"israels-killing-of-another-2-hamas-leaders-is-unlikely-to-break-gaza-deadlock-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194","title":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By SAM METZ and FATMA KHALED<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the past two weeks, Israel\u2019s military has killed the leader of Hamas\u2019 military wing and his replacement \u2014 the latest in a string of such killings that have weakened the group without having much impact on the ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n

Read more Google employee charged with using confidential search data to make $1.2 million on Polymarket<\/a><\/p>\n

Mohammed Odeh and Izz al-Din al-Haddad were among the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, nearly all of whom have been killed in more than two years of war that has devastated Gaza.<\/p>\n

A fragile ceasefire took effect in October, but Hamas still controls nearly half the territory and has brushed off demands to disarm. Israel is still regularly striking what it says are combatant targets, often killing civilians, and seizing more territory.<\/p>\n

Experts, citing Israel\u2019s long history of taking out top fighters, say targeted killings are unlikely to change that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe killing of military chiefs such as Odeh and Haddad points to Israel\u2019s operational ability to reach Hamas\u2019 military leadership,\u201d said Nasser Khdour of the nonprofit ACLED, which tracks political violence and conflict worldwide.<\/p>\n

But \u201cthe killing of senior commanders is unlikely, on its own, to push Hamas toward disarmament or make it accept the complete removal of its role in Gaza\u2019s security and governance.\u201d<\/p>\n

An age-old tactic<\/h4>\n

Israel has carried out dozens of targeted killings throughout its history, but Palestinian and Lebanese combatant groups have often endured and grown even more powerful after the loss of top leaders. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Take Hezbollah, for example. An Israeli airstrike killed its then-leader Abbas Musawi in southern Lebanon in 1992. Under Hassan Nasrallah, his charismatic replacement, Hezbollah grew into the region\u2019s most powerful armed group and fought Israel to a bloody stalemate in 2006.<\/p>\n

Nasrallah and nearly all of his deputies were killed in the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Iran-backed group suffered other major losses that year, but resumed missile and drone attacks on Israel days after the start of the current war.<\/p>\n

Hamas has lost one leader after another. Israel killed its founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, in a 2004 airstrike. Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, the two masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack, were killed in 2024. The full-scale war went on for another year.<\/p>\n

Both groups have pressed on, fueled by the decades-old grievances stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The United States has also resorted to targeted killings against al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, taking out Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid in Pakistan and IS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019. Both groups have been vastly diminished, but only after yearslong wars involving ground forces.<\/p>\n

Read more Freebie of the week: Go on a bird walk at Bolsa Chica wetlands<\/a><\/p>\n

The question is who comes after<\/h4>\n

Yossi Kuperwasser, the former head of Israel\u2019s military intelligence research division, said in March that targeted killings can be an effective tool but are not a \u201ccure for all problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese operations by themselves don\u2019t dramatically change the ability of those organizations to cause damage and to carry out attacks,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s important for Israel to weaken its enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Gaza, Lebanon and now Iran, he noted, Israel has taken out dozens of figures, reshaping the leadership structure in lasting ways.<\/p>\n

Targeted killings were a key strategy in the early days of the Iran war. Top military and political officials up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed in the war\u2019s opening salvos. Khamenei has been replaced by his son, Mojtaba, who is seen as even less compromising.<\/p>\n

Kuperwasser said that targeted killings in Iran hadn\u2019t transformed the theocracy but had changed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there\u2019s not \u2018regime change\u2019 yet, but there is \u2018change in regime.\u2019 The people are not the same people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Killing leaders can also backfire<\/h4>\n

In past instances, targeted killings have served to radicalize followers or members of political movements and combatant groups, elevating more extreme successors or turning slain leaders into martyrs with enduring influence.<\/p>\n

Northeastern University political scientist Max Abrahms said data from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories shows violence against civilians spikes after targeted killings.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership decapitation is risky,\u201d he said in an interview in March. \u201cWhen you take out a leader that prefers some degree of restraint and had influence over subordinates, then there\u2019s a very good chance that, upon that person\u2019s death, you\u2019re going to see even more extreme tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Targeted killings can create leadership vacuums and the potential for change, but only when coupled with a coherent political strategy, Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can decapitate an organization or defeat it militarily, but if you don\u2019t follow through politically, it doesn\u2019t work. And it\u2019s hard to see how this goes much further,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read more Disneyland closes 3 attractions as busy summer season starts<\/a><\/p>\n

Associated Press writer Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the past two weeks, Israel\u2019s military has killed the leader of Hamas\u2019 military wing and his replacement, the latest targeted killings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nIsrael\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over the past two weeks, Israel\u2019s military has killed the leader of Hamas\u2019 military wing and his replacement, the latest targeted killings.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T17:32:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T17:32:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194\"},\"wordCount\":869,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194\",\"name\":\"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T17:32:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=10194#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Over the past two weeks, Israel\u2019s military has killed the leader of Hamas\u2019 military wing and his replacement, the latest targeted killings.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T17:32:24+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why","datePublished":"2026-05-28T17:32:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194"},"wordCount":869,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194","name":"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-28T17:32:24+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f7046fc0520aff98c44153bfe74e546c.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=10194#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Israel\u2019s killing of another 2 Hamas leaders is unlikely to break Gaza deadlock. Here\u2019s why"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}