Ali al-Amoudi survives strike on house in Gaza — Asharq Al-Awsat

Ali al-Amoudi, who is responsible for the activities of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza City, survived a strike on a residential building on October 3. According to three Asharq Al-Awsat sources, he left the apartment about three hours before the attack after receiving an urgent warning. The outlet reported that five Palestinians were killed in the strike.

Drone warning

According to the outlet’s sources, on October 2, two fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades’ air unit spotted two Israeli reconnaissance drones. They said the aircraft circled over the house and the port area in western Gaza City for a long time.

The fighters assumed that such surveillance could precede an assassination attempt on a senior Hamas official and informed the movement’s security service leaders. The warning was passed on to those responsible for protecting Hamas leaders, including al-Amoudi.

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According to Asharq Al-Awsat’s interlocutors, a guard who knew al-Amoudi’s location immediately informed him of the risk. Al-Amoudi decided to leave the apartment. About an hour or more later, according to the sources, the apartment was struck by guided missiles and one or two kamikaze drones.

Al-Amoudi’s role in Hamas

Al-Amoudi was close to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar; they were held together in Israeli prisons. Al-Amoudi was released as part of a prisoner exchange for Israeli serviceman Gilad Shalit.

Before the strike, he took part in internal elections for the head of Hamas in Gaza, where Nizar Awadallah was his rival. Neither candidate gained a decisive advantage, and the second round was halted after an appeal. The outlet’s sources also said that armed groups in Gaza constantly monitor drones, trying to determine whether attacks on their leaders may be being prepared.