Israel claims killing of Hamas spokesman as Gaza City offensive leaves dozens dead
Israeli military strikes intensify as Palestinians face rising casualties, hunger, and forced displacement
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (MNTV) — Israel announced that Abu Obeida, the infamous spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, was killed in a military operation in Gaza City, amid a intense escalation of Israeli attacks that left dozens of Palestinians dead over the weekend.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the killing, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier said Israel had targeted the spokesman but could not verify his death at the time.
Hamas has not issued a statement regarding the claim. Obeida, the longtime voice of the Qassam Brigades, last spoke on Friday as Israel launched the initial stage of its ground assault on Gaza City, declaring it a combat zone.
Israel has carried out a brutal campaign of assassinations against Hamas’ political and military leadership since October 2023, while also killing thousands of innocent of civilians.
Civilian toll rises
Local hospitals reported that at least 43 Palestinians were killed since Saturday, most of them in Gaza City.
Shifa Hospital, the enclave’s largest medical facility, received 29 bodies, including 10 civilians killed while waiting for aid.
Al-Awda Hospital reported another seven deaths on Sunday morning, saying the victims were civilians targeted while trying to reach assistance.
Witnesses described Israeli forces firing on civilians in the Netzarim Corridor, a heavily militarized zone cutting across Gaza. “We were trying to get food, but we were met with the occupation’s bullets,” said Ragheb Abu Lebda, a resident of Nuseirat. “It’s a death trap.”
The corridor has become increasingly dangerous, with civilians shot while attempting to approach aid convoys or humanitarian sites.
Starvation and repeated displacement
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that seven adults died of malnutrition and starvation-related causes in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of such deaths to 215 since late June. Another 124 children have died from starvation since the war began.
According to the ministry, at least 63,371 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Roughly half of the victims were women and children, confirmed by UN as credible number.
Israel’s military has intensified its assault on Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp, carrying out heavy strikes in the coastal Rimal district.
Despite Israeli orders for civilians to evacuate southward, hundreds of thousands remain, many too exhausted by repeated displacement or unwilling to move given that no area is safe.
The United Nations estimates that more than 65,000 Palestinians have fled their homes since August 1, including 23,199 in the last week alone.
Over 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.1 million people have been displaced at least once during the war, with many forced to move multiple times.
Palestinian and human rights officials say that Israel is using starvation, displacement, and deliberate destruction of civilian areas as weapons of war.
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