The ceasefire becomes a fiction as military pressure continues
Em meio a cessar-fogos formais que parecem cada vez mais frágeis, Israel anunciou ter atacado Mohammad Odeh, recém-nomeado comandante militar do Hamas, dias após assumir o posto deixado por seu predecessor morto em operação anterior. O alvo era um edifício residencial no bairro de Rimal, em Gaza, onde ao menos três pessoas morreram e mais de vinte ficaram feridas — mais um capítulo numa guerra que já ceifou mais de 72 mil vidas. A incerteza sobre a morte de Odeh reflete algo maior: a dificuldade de distinguir, neste conflito, entre o fim de uma batalha e o começo de outra.
- Israel atacou o novo chefe militar do Hamas horas depois de anunciar expansão das operações terrestres no Líbano, sinalizando escalada simultânea em múltiplas frentes.
- Um edifício residencial no bairro de Rimal foi destruído no ataque: ao menos três mortos, incluindo uma mulher, e mais de vinte feridos — o cotidiano de Gaza novamente interrompido pela guerra.
- O governo israelense confirmou o ataque, mas não confirmou a morte de Odeh, deixando o resultado da operação envolto em ambiguidade estratégica.
- As negociações indiretas sobre a segunda fase do cessar-fogo estão paralisadas: Hamas se recusa a desarmar, Israel mantém controle de mais da metade de Gaza.
- Desde o cessar-fogo de outubro, cerca de 900 palestinos foram mortos em ataques israelenses — um número que desafia a própria definição de trégua.
Na terça-feira, o governo israelense anunciou ter atacado Mohammad Odeh, o novo comandante da ala militar do Hamas, nomeado poucos dias antes para substituir Izz al-Din al-Haddad, morto por Israel em 15 de maio. O escritório de Netanyahu confirmou a operação sem fornecer detalhes — e, de forma significativa, sem afirmar se Odeh havia sido morto.
O ataque atingiu um edifício residencial no bairro de Rimal, em Gaza. As autoridades de saúde locais registraram ao menos três mortos, entre eles uma mulher, e mais de vinte feridos. O andar superior do prédio foi destruído. Segundo Netanyahu, Odeh havia chefiado a divisão de inteligência do Hamas durante o ataque de 7 de outubro de 2023 e era possivelmente o último membro sobrevivente do conselho de liderança sênior da ala armada.
A operação ocorreu horas após Israel anunciar a expansão de ações terrestres no Líbano — uma escalada que contrasta com os cessar-fogos formais vigentes em ambos os territórios. As negociações indiretas sobre a segunda fase do acordo firmado em outubro seguem travadas: a fase exigiria o desarmamento do Hamas e a retirada israelense de Gaza, mas Israel ainda controla mais da metade do território, enquanto o Hamas mantém uma faixa costeira.
Desde o início do cessar-fogo, cerca de 900 palestinos foram mortos em ataques israelenses, segundo autoridades de saúde de Gaza. O exército israelense justifica as operações como necessárias para conter ameaças e impedir aproximações à chamada linha amarela — fronteira interna entre as zonas controladas por cada lado. Quatro soldados israelenses foram mortos por militantes no mesmo período. O saldo total da guerra ultrapassa 72 mil mortos em Gaza, a maioria civis, enquanto o conflito subjacente permanece sem solução à vista.
On Tuesday, the Israeli government announced it had struck Mohammad Odeh, the newly appointed military commander of Hamas's armed wing. The operation came just days after Odeh had assumed the position following the death of his predecessor, killed in an earlier Israeli attack. Netanyahu's office released a statement confirming the strike but offered no additional details—and notably, did not say whether Odeh had been killed.
The target was a residential building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. According to Gaza's health authorities, at least three people died in the strike, including a woman, and more than twenty others were wounded. The upper floor of the building was destroyed in the attack.
Odeh, according to Netanyahu's account, had headed Hamas's intelligence division at the time of the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel. He had been named to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the armed wing's commander-in-chief, who was killed by Israel on May 15. People close to Hamas had not publicly confirmed Odeh's appointment, though they acknowledged he was considered a likely successor given his role as military intelligence chief and his status as possibly the last surviving member of the armed wing's senior leadership council.
The strike on Odeh came hours after Israel announced an expansion of ground operations in Lebanon, signaling an intensification of military activity across multiple fronts. This escalation is occurring despite the existence of formal ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon—agreements that appear increasingly fragile.
Israel and Hamas are currently deadlocked in indirect negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire agreement signed in October. That phase would require Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its military from Gaza. The current arrangement leaves Israel in control of more than half of Gaza, with Hamas holding a narrow strip of coastal territory.
Since the ceasefire took effect, Gaza's health authorities report approximately 900 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes. The Israeli military says these operations are necessary to prevent attacks or stop people from approaching what it calls the yellow line—an internal boundary dividing Israeli-controlled and Hamas-controlled areas. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants during the same period, according to the Israeli military. Hamas does not release casualty figures for its fighters.
The broader toll of the conflict remains staggering. More than 72,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the war began, the majority of them civilians according to Gaza health authorities. The October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel killed 1,200 people by Israeli count. The current pattern of strikes and counterstrikes, even under a nominal ceasefire, suggests the underlying conflict remains unresolved and potentially deteriorating.
Citas Notables
Netanyahu confirmed the military attacked Odeh but provided no additional details and did not state whether the strike was fatal— Israeli government statement
Israel says post-ceasefire strikes aim to prevent attacks and stop people from approaching the yellow line dividing Israeli and Hamas-controlled areas— Israeli military
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Israel strike a military commander just days after he took the job? Seems like they're not giving the ceasefire much of a chance.
Right—it signals they're not waiting to see how this plays out. If Odeh was indeed the last surviving senior leader of the armed wing, eliminating him removes institutional continuity. It's a decapitation strategy.
But doesn't that make negotiations harder? If you keep killing the other side's leadership, who do you negotiate with?
That's the contradiction at the heart of this. Israel says the strikes are defensive—preventing attacks, maintaining security. But they're also preventing the other side from consolidating enough authority to actually implement a ceasefire agreement.
So the ceasefire is real on paper but not in practice.
More like it's a pause that neither side fully honors. Israel controls more than half of Gaza now. Hamas controls a coastal strip. The second phase—disarmament, withdrawal—requires trust neither side has.
And the people in that building in Rimal? They weren't military targets.
No. Three dead, twenty wounded in a residential strike. That's the pattern that's been constant since October—civilian casualties continuing even after the formal truce.
What happens if these negotiations collapse entirely?
You're already seeing it. Expanded operations in Lebanon, strikes on leadership, no movement on the core issues. The ceasefire becomes a fiction.