Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, has been killed in an air strike in Gaza Metropolis, Israel has mentioned.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) and Israel’s safety company, Shin Guess, for the “flawless execution” in a put up on X.
He gave no element on the time or location of the operation, however the IDF earlier mentioned its plane attacked “a key terrorist” within the al-Rimal neighbourhood on Saturday, prompting experiences in Israeli media that Obeida had been the goal.
Hamas has not confirmed his loss of life. The Palestinian armed group earlier mentioned dozens of civilians had been killed and injured in Israeli strikes on a residential constructing within the district.
Katz warned on Sunday that many extra of Obeida’s “felony companions” can be focused with “the intensification of the marketing campaign in Gaza” – a reference to a just lately permitted Israeli plan to grab management of Gaza Metropolis.
Individually, the IDF and Shin Guess supplied extra particulars about Saturday’s strikes that focused the Hamas spokesman.
They mentioned in a joint assertion that the operation had been “made doable as a consequence of prior intelligence gathered by [Shin Bet] and the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate” that had recognized his hiding place.
5 missiles struck the second and third flooring of the six-storey condo constructing concurrently from two completely different instructions.
The focused flat had been used as a dentist’s surgical procedure. Witnesses reported a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} flying into the air due to the strike, with giant sums stolen and later recovered by Hamas members.
Obeida was among the many few remaining senior members of Hamas’s army wing from earlier than its lethal 7 October 2023 assault on southern Israel.
The joint assertion mentioned Obeida “served as the general public face of the Hamas terrorist group” and “disseminated Hamas’ propaganda”.
Over the previous few years, Obeida – believed to be about 40 years previous – delivered plenty of lengthy diatribes towards Israel on behalf of Hamas’s army wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
All the time masked in a Palestinian scarf, he grew to become an idol to Hamas supporters all through the Center East.
In what might have been his ultimate speech on Friday, Obeida mentioned the destiny of remaining Israeli hostages can be the identical as that of Hamas fighters, warning Israel towards its deliberate invasion of Gaza Metropolis.
Palestinians flee as smoke is seen billowing over Gaza Metropolis following an Israeli air strike on Saturday [EPA]
On Saturday, Hamas accused the IDF of hitting a residential constructing within the densely populated al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza Metropolis.
Native journalists reported that no less than seven folks had been killed and 20 injured within the strikes, with youngsters among the many casualties.
The IDF mentioned that previous to the assault “many steps had been taken to scale back the possibility of harming civilians, together with the usage of precision weapons, aerial observations, and extra intelligence data”.
BBC Information has been unable to independently confirm the claims of both the IDF or Hamas.
In early August, Israel’s safety cupboard permitted a plan to grab management of Gaza Metropolis in a recent offensive, with the acknowledged purpose of bringing the 22-month-long conflict to an finish.
The UN has repeatedly warned {that a} full army takeover would danger “catastrophic penalties” for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The UK’s ambassador to Israel has mentioned it could be “an enormous mistake”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas and defied worldwide criticism of his plans to broaden the conflict.
Israel’s army operation in Gaza started in response to the Hamas-led 7 October assault, through which about 1,200 folks had been killed and 251 others had been taken hostage. Since then, greater than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, in keeping with the Hamas-run Gaza well being ministry.
Whereas the operation to seize Gaza Metropolis has but to start in earnest, Israeli assaults on the town – the place practically one million folks reside – have been ongoing.
The Israeli army has mentioned it plans to evacuate Gaza Metropolis’s complete inhabitants and transfer it to shelters within the south earlier than troops transfer in. Most of Gaza’s inhabitants has already been displaced many occasions in the course of the battle.
Greater than 90% of the town’s houses are estimated to be broken or destroyed, and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene methods have collapsed.
Final week, situations of famine had been confirmed in Gaza Metropolis and its surrounding areas for the primary time.
