Israel has announced that Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, was killed in an aerial strike on Gaza City.
Defence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency for what he described as the “flawless execution” of the operation in a post on X.
Hamas has not confirmed his death, but said earlier that dozens of civilians were killed or injured when Israeli airstrikes targeted a residential building in Gaza City. Local journalists reported at least seven people dead and 20 wounded in the densely populated al-Rimal neighbourhood, with children among the casualties.
According to the IDF and Shin Bet, intelligence gathered by their agencies led to the identification of Obeida’s hiding place. Five missiles struck the second and third floors of a six-storey building simultaneously from two directions. The targeted flat had been used as a dentist’s surgery. Witnesses said hundreds of thousands of dollars were blown into the streets after the blasts, some of which were looted before being recovered by Hamas.
The IDF described Obeida as the “public face of the Hamas terrorist organization,” responsible for spreading propaganda. Masked and draped in a Palestinian scarf, he had long delivered speeches for Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, and was seen as an icon among supporters across the Middle East. In what may have been his final address on Friday, he warned Israel against invading Gaza City, saying the fate of hostages would be tied to that of Hamas fighters.
The airstrike sparked panic in the neighbourhood. Mohammed Emad, a barber working nearby, told the BBC the blasts were “terrifying” and that he saw injured children with blood on their faces as residents fled in all directions. Verified footage shows civilians running, a wounded child being carried away, and blood flowing from a covered body.
The IDF insisted steps were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including precision weapons and aerial surveillance, though these claims could not be independently verified.
Saturday’s strike comes as Israel intensifies aerial attacks on Gaza City ahead of a planned ground offensive, approved in August by Israel’s security cabinet. Katz has warned that many more of Obeida’s “criminal partners” will be targeted as the campaign escalates.
The UN has repeatedly warned that a full military takeover of Gaza City could have “catastrophic consequences” for both Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages. The UK’s ambassador to Israel has also cautioned it would be “a huge mistake.”
Israel’s military campaign began after the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Since then, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Nearly one million people remain in Gaza City, where most homes are damaged or destroyed and basic services — including healthcare, water, and sanitation — have collapsed. Israel says it plans to evacuate the city before its ground forces move in.
