The latest figures reported killed are Mohammed Odeh and Izz al-Din al-Haddad, both considered key commanders within Hamas' military wing. The two men were also among those accused by Israel of helping plan the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the current conflict.

Their deaths add to a growing list of Hamas leaders eliminated since the war began. However, analysts and conflict experts say such killings are unlikely to significantly alter the broader situation in Gaza or bring the conflict closer to an end.

Hamas leadership has been repeatedly targeted

Israel has spent years targeting senior figures in Hamas and other militant organisations operating in the region.

Among the most high-profile killings was Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2004. More recently, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, widely regarded as the masterminds behind the October 7 attack, were also killed in 2024.

Despite those losses, the war continued for another year.

Although a fragile ceasefire came into effect in October, Hamas still controls nearly half of Gaza. The group has also rejected calls to disarm or completely withdraw from governing and security roles in the territory.

Israel, meanwhile, continues carrying out strikes across Gaza targeting what it describes as militant infrastructure and fighters. Civilian casualties have also continued to be reported, while Israeli forces have expanded territorial control in some areas.

Experts say leadership killings rarely end long conflicts

Conflict researchers say Israel's ability to reach top Hamas figures demonstrates significant intelligence and military capability, but warn that leadership assassinations alone rarely force militant organisations to surrender or disappear.

Nasser Khdour of ACLED, a non-profit organisation that tracks global conflict and political violence, said the killings showed Israel's operational reach into Hamas' command structure.

However, he said the deaths of senior commanders were unlikely to convince Hamas to give up its role in Gaza or agree to complete disarmament.

Analysts point out that many militant organisations have survived repeated losses of top leadership and, in some cases, emerged stronger afterwards.

Hezbollah example highlights limits of targeted killings

Experts often point to Lebanon's Hezbollah as an example of how militant groups can survive leadership losses.

In 1992, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Abbas Musawi in an airstrike in southern Lebanon. He was succeeded by Hassan Nasrallah, who later transformed Hezbollah into one of the most powerful armed groups in the Middle East.

Under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah fought Israel to a bloody standstill during the 2006 Lebanon war.

Nasrallah himself, along with many of his deputies, was killed during the 2024 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Despite suffering major setbacks, the Iran-backed organisation resumed missile and drone attacks on Israel only days after the current war began.

US experience shows similar pattern

The United States has also relied heavily on targeted killings in its wars against extremist groups.

US forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011 and Islamic State founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.

Although both organisations were eventually weakened significantly, analysts note that this happened only after years of military campaigns involving large-scale ground operations rather than leadership killings alone.

Israeli intelligence veteran says strategy has limits

Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of research in Israel's military intelligence division, has described targeted killings as useful but insufficient on their own.

Speaking earlier this year, he said such operations weaken militant organisations but do not completely remove their ability to carry out attacks.

"These operations by themselves don't dramatically change the ability of those organisations to cause damage and to carry out attacks," he said.

At the same time, he argued that reducing the strength of hostile groups remained strategically important for Israel.

According to Kuperwasser, Israeli operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have significantly altered leadership structures within those groups, even if they have not fully dismantled them.

Iran operations raise questions about long-term impact

Targeted killings also became a major part of Israel's military operations during the conflict involving Iran.

Several top Iranian military and political figures were reportedly killed during the early stages of the fighting, including individuals close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was later replaced by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who is widely viewed as holding even harder political positions.

Kuperwasser argued that while the Iranian political system itself remained intact, the individuals running it had changed significantly.

"Maybe there's not 'regime change' yet, but there is 'change in regime.' The people are not the same people," he said.

Risk of radicalisation after militant leaders are killed

Some political scientists warn that eliminating militant leaders can sometimes make conflicts even more violent.

Max Abrahms, a political scientist at Northeastern University, said research from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories suggests attacks on civilians often increase after targeted killings.

According to him, removing leaders who exercised restraint can create opportunities for more hardline figures to take control.

"When you take out a leader that prefers some degree of restraint and had influence over subordinates, then there's a very good chance that, upon that person's death, you're going to see even more extreme tactics," he said earlier this year.

Experts also note that slain leaders can become symbols or martyrs, strengthening support among followers rather than weakening movements.

Political solution seen as essential for lasting change

Analysts say military action alone is unlikely to end the conflict unless it is backed by a broader political strategy.

Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said leadership killings may create opportunities for political change, but only if governments follow them with long-term diplomatic and governance plans.

"You can decapitate an organisation or defeat it militarily, but if you don't follow through politically, it doesn't work," he said.
Agency inputs