Israel said on Wednesday that it had killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in a strike in Gaza, while Hamas has not yet responded.
The Israel Defense Forces and Israel's Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that Odeh was killed in an operation in Gaza City of northern Gaza Strip.
The statement described Odeh as the head of Hamas' intelligence headquarters, claiming that he was responsible for planning and coordinating the attacks on Oct 7, 2023.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post that Odeh, whom he described as Hamas' fourth-ranking official, had been killed. "We promised that Hamas will not have military or civilian control over Gaza, and so it will be," Katz said.
Hamas did not immediately confirm or comment on the report. Palestinian media reported that Odeh was killed along with his wife, two sons and daughter in a strike in western Gaza City.
Odeh was appointed about a week ago to succeed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was killed in an Israeli strike on May 15.
Israel claims killing Hamas new military chief
Participants at a United Nations Security Council high-level meeting on "upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system" reached important consensus on Tuesday on revitalizing and strengthening the UN, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the meeting, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that in recent times, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter have been disregarded, the basic norms governing international relations undermined, and global peace and security hung in the balance. At this critical juncture, the Security Council must step forward and shoulder its responsibilities, he added.
Wang noted that China's initiative to convene the meeting received positive responses from countries around the world. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with foreign ministers of over 20 nations and representatives from various countries, gathered to reaffirm the founding mission of the United Nations, and engaged in lively and in-depth discussions centered on upholding, revitalizing and strengthening the organization.
"There is broad consensus that the UN Charter remains as relevant as ever, serving as the cornerstone of the international order, and that the central role of the United Nations must be strengthened rather than weakened. The participants agreed that since no one wants international relations to regress to the law of jungle, we must uphold a single system -- the international system centered on the United Nations, and abide by a single set of rules -- the basic norms governing international relations, founded upon the Charter," said Wang.
"It was also widely agreed that the United Nations must enhance its operational capacity to fulfill its mandate more effectively, and the Security Council, in particular, must shoulder its primary responsibility for maintaining peace and play its due role in crisis management. Moreover, UN agencies must undergo timely reforms to respond more effectively to the common concerns of the international community," Wang said.
"It is agreed that the trend of world multi-polarization is unstoppable, and it is no longer in line with the times for one or a few countries to dominate international affairs. The participants stressed the need to firmly follow the path of multilateralism, and maintain unity to the greatest extent, oppose division, seek cooperation, resist confrontation, and jointly inject much-needed stability and certainty into the world," said the Chinese foreign minister.
The participants acknowledged that the current global governance is lagging behind and needs to keep pace with the times. They called for the reform of the current system of global governance to better reflect the aspirations of all nations, ensuring that every country participates on an equal footing and shares the benefits. In particular, it is essential to enhance the representation and voice of the Global South and jointly build a more just and equitable global governance system, Wang noted.
Stressing that the Global Governance Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping last year has received extensive support from the international community, Wang said China will hold a meeting of the Group of Friends of Global Governance in New York on Thursday to build new consensus and inject new impetus into the reform and improvement of global governance.
He also said that the Chinese side will hold a forum on global governance in Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province in the autumn, and expects friends from all countries to discuss global governance plans at the event.
Regardless of how the international situation evolves, China will always remain a steadfast defender of the United Nations, a true supporter of multilateralism, and an active promoter of global governance, Wang said.
Chinese FM says consensus reached at Security Council meeting on revitalizing, strengthening UN
