Shortly after Katz\u2019s remarks, the IDF issued a statement confirming that Abu Obeida, whom it called \u201cthe face of the terrorist organization,\u201d had indeed been the target of Saturday\u2019s strike.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe operation was conducted jointly from the Shin Bet\u2019s operations war room, in cooperation with the Southern Command, and was made possible thanks to prior intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence, which pointed to the hideout where the terrorist was located,\u201d the IDF statement said.<\/p>\n
The military said that for the past decade, Abu Obeida \u201cwas responsible for the propaganda apparatus of Hamas\u2019s military wing. In this role, he oversaw spokesperson operations across brigades and battalions, coordinated between political media elements and the military wing, and was the senior figure setting propaganda policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamas\u2019s propaganda wing, said the IDF, \u201cwas responsible for distributing the atrocities of the October 7 massacre using footage captured by Hamas terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abu Obeida\u2019s outfit also spread videos throughout the Arab world seeking to incite acts of terror and distributed videos of hostages in Gaza, the military added.<\/p>\n
In separate remarks, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the hit on Abu Obeida was the latest in \u201ca series of significant IDF strikes in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and other areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not the end,\u201d he chief said at a situational assessment in the Northern Command, where the IDF said he reviewed intelligence and discussed operational plans for the continuation of the Gaza campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bulk of Hamas\u2019s ruling leadership that remains is abroad, and we will reach them too,\u201d Zamir added, and reiterated that the IDF was \u201cacting offensively, with initiative and operational superiority across all arenas and at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) leads a cabinet meeting at an undisclosed secure location on August 31, 2025 (Screenshot\/GPO)<\/p>\n Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu had said at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting that Israel had not yet been able to confirm if Abu Obeida had been killed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Shin Bet and the IDF struck the Hamas spokesman, the spokesman of the murderous evil organization, Abu Obeida,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still don\u2019t know the final outcome \u2014 I hope he is no longer with us \u2014 but I notice there\u2019s no one to speak about this from Hamas\u2019s side,\u201d the premier quipped. \u201cSo, the coming hours and days will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n Abu Obeida had been the spokesman of Hamas\u2019s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, since 2004. He rose to prominence in 2006 when he announced the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.<\/p>\n The always-masked Abu Obeida has since been the face of the terror group\u2019s higher-profile statements and its psychological warfare.<\/p>\n Abu Obeida\u2019s last statement was issued on Friday evening, warning Israel that its planned offensive to conquer Gaza City would subject hostages in the area to the \u201csame risks\u201d as the terror group\u2019s fighters.<\/p>\n In light of the assassination of the Hamas spokesman, coupled with the strikes that killed the prime minister of the Houthi-led government, Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahwi, in Yemen last week, the cabinet was reported to have gathered for its weekly meeting in a secure alternative location out of fear of retaliatory attacks.<\/p>\n At the meeting, Netanyahu said that the IDF \u201chas already begun implementing\u201d a recent cabinet decision \u201cto defeat Hamas and bring back all of our hostages.\u201d Those goals have long been the stated aims of the war in Gaza, but Netanyahu seemed to be referencing the decision to move ahead with the conquest of Gaza City by the IDF.<\/p>\n Turning to last week\u2019s strike on the Houthi political leadership, Netanyahu said that \u201cin every one of his speeches, [Houthi leader Abdul-Malik] al-Houthi promises he will strike Israel, that he will destroy Israel. That\u2019s written on their flag.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat promise will not be fulfilled,\u201d he promised. \u201cBut our promise \u2014 to strike the terror regime with increased force \u2014 is being fulfilled. And how is it being fulfilled. In a deadly blow, the IDF eliminated most of the Houthi government and additional military officials.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that Israel will continue working to assassinate senior Houthi officials: \u201cThis is only the beginning of the campaign targeting senior officials in Sanaa. We will reach all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu also boasted that the Western and Arab coalitions that have attacked the Houthis in the past were unable to achieve what Israel has, and said that ever since the 12-day war with Iran in June, Israel has been \u201cstriking the remaining parts of the axis systematically \u2014 day after day, front after front.\u201d<\/p>\n Nava Freiberg contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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