A spokesman for the terrorist group Hamas‘s military wing was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City over the weekend.
Israel launched an airstrike Saturday on a building in Gaza City, saying the target was a high-ranking Hamas member. The results of the strike were not immediately published as Israeli officials worked to confirm the target was killed.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that the operation was successful. He identified the target as Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al Kahlout, the longtime spokesman for Hamas’s militarized Qassam Brigades. Kahlout used the alias Abu Obeida.
“Hamas terror spokesperson Abu Ubaida was eliminated in Gaza and sent to meet all the liquidated members of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell,” Katz said on social media.
Katz continued, “Congratulations to the IDF and Shin Bet for the flawless execution. Soon, with the intensification of the campaign in Gaza, many more of his criminal partners—Hamas murderers and rapists—will join him there.”
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Katz’s statements shortly after they were made and offered insight into how the assassination was conducted.
“The operation was conducted jointly from the Shin Bet’s operations war room, in cooperation with the Southern Command, and was made possible thanks to prior intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence, which pointed to the hideout where the terrorist was located,” the IDF announced in a statement.
The IDF said Obeida was “responsible for the propaganda apparatus of Hamas’s military wing. In this role, he oversaw spokesperson operations across brigades and battalions, coordinated between political media elements and the military wing, and was the senior figure setting propaganda policy.”
The Hamas spokesman was a central pillar of Hamas’s media campaigns but only appeared in public with his face masked by a red keffiyeh.
“I hope he is no longer with us, but I notice that there is no one on the Hamas side to clarify this matter,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Cabinet meeting following Obeida’s death.
Israel’s operation to take military control over Gaza City has continued despite outcry from many of the Jewish nation’s closest allies.
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The campaign is expected to take months and is proving divisive among Israeli citizens. However, Netanyahu has said it is the only way to secure the remaining hostages and ensure the total elimination of Hamas.
Approximately 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.