Gaza Strip: Israel announced on Sunday, August 31, that it had killed Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in an air strike on the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote, “Abu Obeida was eliminated in Gaza and sent to meet all the thwarted operatives of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell. Congratulations to the IDF and Shin Bet on the flawless operation.”
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“Soon, with the intensification of the campaign in Gaza, many more of his partners in crime — the murderers and rapists of Hamas — will join him there,” Katz added.
דובר טרור החמאס אבו עוביידה חוסל בעזה, ונשלח לפגוש את כל מסוכלי ציר הרשע מאיראן, עזה, לבנון ותימן בתחתית הגיהינום.ברכות לצה"ל ולשב"כ על הביצוע המושלם.בקרוב, עם התגברות המערכה על עזה, יפגוש שם עוד רבים משותפיו לפשע – מרצחי ואנסי החמאס. pic.twitter.com/e6cb0CRLYy— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) August 31, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had struck Abu Obeida but was unsure if he had been killed, noting Hamas had not commented.
A Palestinian source told Al Arabiya that the strike targeted an apartment in Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood where Abu Obeida was staying. According to the source, all the residents of that flat were killed.
The source further said that members of Abu Obeida’s family and Al-Qassam Brigades “confirmed his death after examining the body.”
There has been no immediate response from Hamas regarding the claim.
Who was Abu Obeida?
Abu Obeida, believed by Israeli and US intelligence to be Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, was born in Gaza in 1985. He rose within Hamas during the Second Intifada and became the official spokesperson of the Al-Qassam Brigades after Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
Since 2007, he has been the masked voice of Hamas, known for his red keffiyeh and military fatigues, delivering televised statements and recordings that made him one of the most recognisable figures of the group.
In his final remarks on Friday, August 29, shortly before the reported Israeli strike, he said Hamas fighters were prepared for clashes in Gaza City and pledged to keep hostages alive, though he warned of fierce battles in the areas where they were being held.
⚡️BREAKING Abu Obaida: The enemy’s criminal plans to occupy Gaza city will bring disaster upon its political and military leadership. Its army will pay the price in the blood of its soldiers, and the chances of capturing new soldiers will increase, in sha Allah.•Our… pic.twitter.com/RstavNBS8C— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) August 29, 2025
Humanitarian toll
The strike came amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Local hospitals said at least 43 Palestinians were killed since Saturday, mostly in Gaza City. Witnesses reported Israeli troops opening fire on crowds seeking aid in the Netzarim Corridor, which some survivors described as “a death trap.”
Gaza’s health ministry reported that seven adults and 124 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the start of the war, with 215 starvation deaths recorded since June. The UN says over 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.1 million people have been displaced at least once, with tens of thousands fleeing again in recent weeks as Israel steps up its offensive.
With inputs from Associated Press
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