JERUSALEM (BN24) — The Israeli military announced Sunday that it killed the longtime spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, as the country’s security cabinet met to discuss expanding offensive operations in some of Gaza’s most populated areas.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz identified the spokesperson as Abu Obeida, the nom de guerre for the person who represented Hamas’ Qassam Brigades. The military said he was killed over the weekend. Hamas has not commented on the claim.
There were no plans to discuss ceasefire negotiations at the security cabinet meeting, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.
Israel’s military said the spokesperson, whom it identified as Hudahaifa Kahlout, had been behind the release of videos showing hostages as well as footage of the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war. The military also reiterated threats against remaining Hamas leaders abroad.
Abu Obeida’s last statement was issued Friday as Israel began initial stages of the new offensive and declared Gaza City a combat zone. His statement said the militants would do their best to protect living hostages but warned that they would be in areas of fighting. He said the remains of dead hostages would “disappear forever.”
At least 43 Palestinians were killed since Saturday, most of them in Gaza City, according to local hospitals. Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest medical facility, 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?” said a relative of one of the dead at Shifa Hospital, who did not give her name.
Hospital officials reported 11 other fatalities from strikes and gunfire. Al-Awda Hospital said seven were civilians trying to reach aid distribution sites.
Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire on crowds in the Netzarim Corridor, an Israeli military zone that bisects Gaza.
“We were trying to get food, but we were met with the occupation’s bullets,” said Ragheb Abu Lebda, who saw at least three people bleeding from gunshot wounds. “It’s a death trap.”
Civilians have been killed as United Nations humanitarian convoys are overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, or shot on their way to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed U.S. contractor.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation told The Associated Press that there was “no incident at or near our site today.” Israel’s military did not respond to questions about Sunday’s casualties.
Israel has killed many of Hamas’ military and political leaders as it attempts to dismantle the group and prevent an attack like the one on October 7, 2023, when militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians, in southern Israel.
Fewer than 50 hostages remain in Gaza, and Israel believes about 20 are alive. Families of hostages protested outside the security cabinet meeting, expressing anger that ceasefire discussions were not on the agenda.
“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.
Israel for weeks has been operating on the outskirts of Gaza City to prepare for the offensive. The military has intensified air attacks on coastal areas of the city, including the Rimal neighborhood. Smoke rose over the city Sunday.
In Rimal, Palestinians searched through rubble after a strike, some venturing into upper floors of damaged buildings that remained standing. A child attempted to pull a shopping cart loaded with plastic jugs over the debris.
The military has urged hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south, but many say they are exhausted after repeated displacements or unconvinced that any safe place remains in Gaza.
More than 90 percent of the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once during the war, many of them multiple times, according to the United Nations.
Israel has signaled that aid to Gaza City will be reduced and has announced new infrastructure projects in southern Gaza, steps that Palestinians say amount to forced displacement.
Seven more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the last 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday.
That brought the adult death toll from malnutrition-related causes to 215 since June, when the ministry started counting them. The ministry said 124 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began.
In the largest attempt yet to break the Israeli blockade of the territory by sea, a flotilla of ships departed Sunday from Barcelona for Gaza with humanitarian aid and activists on board. Similar attempts in the past have failed.
At least 63,371 Palestinians have died during the war, the Health Ministry said. The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians but says approximately half have been women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes the figures but has not provided its own casualty count.
The current offensive represents an escalation in Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. Israeli officials have stated their goal is to eliminate Hamas’ military capabilities and secure the release of remaining hostages.
The expanding operations in Gaza City, one of the territory’s most densely populated areas, raise concerns about civilian casualties and humanitarian access. International aid organizations have repeatedly warned about the deteriorating conditions for Palestinian civilians caught in the conflict.
Israel’s security cabinet meeting Sunday focused on military strategy for the expanded offensive, with discussions centered on operational objectives in Gaza City and surrounding areas. The absence of ceasefire negotiations from the agenda reflects the current impasse in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
