The Israeli military announced Sunday it had killed Abu Obeida, the longtime spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, as the country’s security cabinet convened to discuss the widening offensive in some of Gaza’s most populated areas.
Officials said there were no plans to address ceasefire negotiations at the meeting.
Defense Minister Israel Katz identified the slain spokesperson as Abu Obeida, the nom de guerre for the representative of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, saying he was killed over the weekend. Hamas has not commented on the claim. The Israeli military further identified him as Hudahaifa Kahlout, alleging he was behind videos of hostages and footage of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack.
Abu Obeida’s last statement came Friday as Israel declared Gaza City a combat zone. He said militants would try to safeguard living hostages but warned they were in battle areas, adding that the remains of dead hostages would “disappear forever.”
Israel has targeted many Hamas leaders since Oct. 7, 2023, when militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 in southern Israel. Fewer than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, about 20 of them believed to be alive.
Families of hostages protested outside the cabinet meeting, demanding a ceasefire. “It is our side that is unwilling to sign a comprehensive deal and is unwilling to end the war and is deciding to sacrifice my child while he is still alive,” said Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker.
Local hospitals reported at least 43 Palestinians killed since Saturday, most in Gaza City. Shifa Hospital said 29 bodies were brought to its morgue, including 10 people killed while seeking aid. “Where are the resistance fighters that (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu claims he is bombing? Does he consider stones resistance fighters?” asked a grieving relative at Shifa.
Al-Awda Hospital reported seven civilians killed while trying to reach aid. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire in the Netzarim Corridor. “We were trying to get food, but we were met with the occupation’s bullets,” said Ragheb Abu Lebda. “It’s a death trap.”
Civilians have also been killed near U.N. convoys and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites. The GHF denied any incident Sunday. Israel’s military did not comment on the casualties.
Israel has stepped up airstrikes on Gaza City’s coastal areas, including Rimal. The military has urged civilians to flee south, but many say they are too exhausted after repeated displacements, with over 90% of Gaza’s population uprooted at least once. Palestinians say Israel’s reduction of aid to Gaza City and new projects in the south amount to forced displacement.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said seven more adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 215 since June, along with 124 children since the war began.
The ministry said at least 63,371 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict, about half of them women and children.
In a new attempt to break the Israeli blockade, a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists departed Sunday from Barcelona, though similar efforts have failed in the past.