Israel Says Killed Spokesman For Hamas Armed Wing

Israel said Sunday its forces had killed the spokesman of Hamas's armed wing in a strike on Gaza a day earlier, the latest fatality in the group's senior ranks in the nearly two-year war.

"Hamas terror spokesperson Abu Obeida was eliminated in Gaza," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said he had been targeted in a strike.

Israel has decimated Hamas's leadership during 23 months of devastating fighting in the Gaza Strip, saying it seeks to eradicate the armed group and return hostages seized by Palestinian militants in their October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war.

Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir promised to continue targeting Hamas's leadership, most of which he said was now abroad.

Hamas has not commented on the killing of Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida, whose real name according to the Israeli military is Hudaifa al-Kahlut.

Since the war began, he had issued dozens of televised speeches -- always appearing in military fatigues and a red keffiyeh scarf to obscure his face -- and published audio messages, press releases and social media posts.

On the ground, smoke drifted into the sky above Gaza City and residents came to inspect the damage at a tent, crumpled in an overnight strike, with bloodstained blankets strewn in the rubble.

Ashraf Abu Amsha, a displaced Palestinian sheltering in the area, said that "horror, fear, destruction, and fire erupted in all the tents."

Israeli forces have been preparing for an offensive to seize Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the Palestinian territory, intensifying bombardments in the area in recent days and warning of imminent evacuation.

As the Israeli cabinet was expected to meet Sunday to discuss the plans, campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum warned against expanding military operations, fearing they could jeopardise the lives of the remaining captives.

Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's 2023 attack, 47 are still being held in Gaza, including 25 the military says are dead.

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, accused the Israeli government of "deciding to sacrifice my living child" and troops by not accepting a proposed truce deal.

According to Gaza's civil defence agency, Israeli strikes and gunfire across the territory on Sunday killed at least 63 people, 24 of whom near aid distribution sites.

Iman Rajab, who lives in the displacement camp near Gaza City that residents said was hit by Israel overnight, told AFP that "we are now afraid of the night and of sleeping in our tents".

"We pray to God for the war to end because we are very tired from the displacement, the fear and the hunger," said Rajab.

The vast majority of the Gaza Strip's more than two million residents have been displaced at least once during the war.

The UN estimates that nearly a million people currently live in Gaza City and its surroundings, where famine has been declared.

Asked for comment by AFP on incidents reported by the civil defence agency, the Israeli military said it was "not aware of casualties" from its fire "adjacent to a humanitarian aid distribution point in central Gaza".

There was no comment on other reported incidents.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

Israel's killing of Abu Obeida is the latest in a string of attacks targeting senior Hamas figures, including leader Yahya Sinwar who was accused by Israel of masterminding the 2023 attack.

Israeli operations have also killed Hamas's political chief Ismail Haniyeh, the head of its armed wing Mohammed Deif, and other commanders and political figures, considerably weakening the Islamist movement.

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 63,459 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.