Targeted Gaza operation kills Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida, says Defence Minister Katz

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, stated on Sunday that the army had killed Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, in a targeted attack in Gaza on Saturday.

“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 in an X.com article.

Kats congratulated Israeli security forces on what he called a “flawless execution” and stated, “Soon, with the intensification of the campaign in Gaza, many more of his criminal partners—Hamas murderers and rapists—will join him there.”

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

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Abu Obeida was the target of Saturday’s strike, but did not confirm his death.

“We have struck the Hamas spokesman, the spokesman for this criminal and murderous organisation, Abu Obeida,” Netanyahu declared during a government meeting.

“I hope he is no longer with us, but I notice that there is no one on the Hamas side to clarify this matter,” she said.

As of now, Hamas has not responded to Israel’s claims.

Abu Obeida was the public face of Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. He was regularly seen in films wearing military fatigues and a crimson keffiyeh to conceal his face. His most recent public comment came on Friday, when Israel opened a new phase of military operations in Gaza City, declaring it a battle zone.

Obeida is one of numerous prominent Hamas officials who have been targeted and assassinated by Israel in recent months. The operations are part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to destabilise Hamas’ military leadership following the October 7, 2023 massacre, in which Hamas terrorists murdered around 1,200 Palestinians and kidnapped 251 captives, according to Israeli estimates..