Israel has announced the killing of Abu Obeida, the masked and fiery spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, in a targeted air strike in Gaza City—a move that marks a significant moment in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. While Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the operation as a "flawless execution," Hamas has yet to confirm Obeida’s death, leaving a cloud of uncertainty and anxiety hanging over Gaza as Israeli forces prepare for what could be the most intense phase of the war yet.
The strike that reportedly killed Abu Obeida occurred over the weekend, as Israeli jets pounded the densely populated al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City. According to the BBC, local journalists reported that at least seven people, including children, were killed and 20 more injured in the attack on a residential building. The Israeli military said five missiles struck the second and third floors of a six-storey apartment block, which had previously housed a dentist’s surgery. Witnesses described chaos and panic; Mohammed Emad, a barber whose shop is just 100 meters from the blast, told the BBC, "The blasts were terrifying—I couldn't move for more than an hour. I saw injured children with blood covering their faces, and people were running in every direction as if the world had ended."
According to The Nightly, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz took to social media to announce: "Hamas terror spokesperson Abu Obeida was eliminated in Gaza." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously indicated that Obeida was a high-priority target. The Israeli military identified Obeida’s real name as Hudaifa al-Kahlut. He was known for his masked televised speeches, delivered in military fatigues, in which he served as the public face of Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. Over the years, Obeida became an idol to Hamas supporters across the Middle East, especially after the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage.
The operation that led to Obeida’s death was the result of what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet described as "prior intelligence gathered by [Shin Bet] and the IDF's Intelligence Directorate" that identified his hiding place. The flat targeted was not only a residential space but also used as a dentist’s surgery. After the strike, witnesses reported seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars flying through the air—money that was briefly stolen by locals before being recovered by Hamas, according to BBC News.
Hamas has not yet issued an official response to Israel’s claim. The Palestinian armed group previously stated that dozens of civilians were killed and injured in the Israeli air strikes on the residential building. As of Sunday, local health authorities reported at least 30 people killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, including 13 near an aid site in central Gaza and two more in a home in Gaza City. The military said it was reviewing these reports.
Abu Obeida was one of the last remaining senior members of Hamas’s military leadership from before the 2023 attack. In what may have been his final speech, delivered on Friday, he warned that the fate of the remaining Israeli hostages would be the same as that of Hamas fighters, cautioning Israel against its planned invasion of Gaza City.
The air strike that killed Obeida came just days after Israeli forces killed principal leaders of Yemen’s Houthi rebel movement, a group that has shown solidarity with Gaza by firing missiles at Israel and targeting shipping lanes. The Houthis confirmed the deaths of their prime minister and other senior figures following Israeli attacks late last week.
The strike on Obeida is part of a broader Israeli campaign to dismantle Hamas’s leadership and force the release of hostages. Israeli forces have been preparing for a ground assault on Gaza City, the largest urban center in the enclave, stepping up bombardments and issuing warnings for civilians to evacuate. The military recently designated Gaza City a "dangerous combat zone" and ended temporary pauses that had allowed for aid deliveries. According to The Nightly, Israeli officials said Netanyahu’s security cabinet would convene on Sunday evening to discuss the next stages of the planned offensive, though a full-scale assault is not expected for several weeks.
On the ground, the humanitarian crisis is deepening. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that a complete military takeover of Gaza City would have catastrophic consequences for both Palestinian civilians and the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. The UK’s ambassador to Israel called the planned offensive "a huge mistake." The Israeli military has stated its intention to evacuate Gaza City’s population—about half of the enclave’s more than two million people—to shelters in the south before moving in. But as Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric noted, such a mass evacuation would provoke a population displacement on a scale "no other area in the Gaza Strip is equipped to absorb," given severe shortages of food, shelter, and medical supplies.
Most of Gaza’s population has already been displaced multiple times during the conflict. More than 90% of Gaza City’s homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed, and the region’s healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene systems have all but collapsed. Last week, conditions of famine were confirmed in Gaza City and its surrounding areas for the first time. The Gaza health ministry reported on Sunday that seven more people had died of malnutrition and starvation, raising the number of such deaths to 339—including 124 children—since the war began. Israel disputes the fatality figures issued by the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip.
Meanwhile, protests in Israel calling for an end to the war and the release of hostages have intensified. Large crowds demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, and families of hostages protested outside ministers’ homes on Sunday morning. The Israeli military has warned political leaders that the ongoing offensive endangers the lives of hostages still held by Hamas.
The war, now entering its 23rd month, began with the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials. The enclave has been plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble and essential infrastructure in ruins.
As Israel prepares for its next move in Gaza City, the death of Abu Obeida underscores both the intensity and the complexity of the conflict. With each development, the stakes for civilians, hostages, and the broader region continue to climb.
