Shafaq News – Middle East (Updated: 2025-8-31 17:46)

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the army had targeted Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida.

At a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel was awaiting the results of the strike and suggested Hamas had delayed issuing a statement “perhaps because no one is left to clarify the matter,” Israeli media reported, citing sources.

Defense Minister Israel Katz later confirmed the assassination of the Palestinian official in a post on X.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army revealed the deceased’s real name, Hudayfa al-Kahlout, noting that the operation was directed from Shin Bet’s operations room and relied on intelligence that identified his location.

Hamas has yet to confirm his fate.

The military had announced the attack on August 30, which, according to Hamas, hit a residential building and caused dozens of deaths and injuries. The group called the strike an escalation aimed at spreading fear and forcing residents to leave Gaza City, urging Arab, Muslim, and international actors, including the United Nations, to intervene.

Abu Obaida, the masked spokesman of Hamas’ military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, has led the group’s media campaign since 2005. Known for his red keffiyeh (a traditional Arab headscarf symbolic of Palestine) and secretive identity, he rose to prominence after the 2006 capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and became the face of Hamas’s Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023.