The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Wednesday how Ali al-Amoudi, Sinwar’s successor in Gaza, managed to escape an assassination attempt earlier this month. Sources within the terror organization claimed an urgent intelligence report reached al-Amoudi about three hours before the attack, prompting him to leave the location where he was staying.
The report did not confirm that an operation was directly and personally targeting him. The sources explained in separate but consistent testimonies that al-Amoudi was staying in the residential apartment that was attacked, and he took what was written in the intelligence report very seriously—so he left the location for another safe place.
1+The sources also noted that two operatives from Hamas’s “air wing”—the military branch—identified intensive flight activity by two Israeli drones on the day of the strike, which they claimed were gathering intelligence around the building and the port area, west of Gaza City. The two operatives reportedly assumed an assassination attempt was underway against a senior figure in the area. They contacted higher security officials and passed along the urgent report, which reached those responsible for securing senior Hamas figures, including al-Amoudi—and thus the assassination was thwarted.
1+Al-Amoudi was very close to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, both inside and outside Israeli prison—where they were detained together before being released. He was repeatedly arrested for murder and kidnapping for which he was responsible and was released in the Shalit deal, along with Sinwar. Weeks before the assassination attempt, al-Amoudi competed in internal elections for the Hamas presidency in Gaza and did not reach a decision against his rival Nizar Awadallah, leading to a runoff that was halted due to an appeal filed against it.