Israel says it killed longtime Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida

Hamas armed wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.
Hamas armed wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.
"Abu Ubaida was eliminated in Gaza and sent to meet all the thwarted members of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell,” Katz wrote on X.
He added that as the campaign in Gaza intensifies, “many more of his partners in crime — Hamas murderers and rapists — will join him there.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said Abu Ubaida was targeted in a joint operation by the military and the Shin Bet intelligence service on Friday.
Abu Ubaida, also known as Hozayfa Al-Khalout, had been the masked face of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades since at least 2007, issuing statements during successive wars with Israel, including after the October 7, 2023, attacks.
Ubeida issued his final statement on Friday, as Israel launched the opening phase of a new military offensive in Gaza City and declared the area a combat zone.
His death was announced as Israel stepped up its campaign against Iran-backed militant groups across the region.
On Thursday, Israel killed Houthi-appointed Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi in an airstrike on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, along with several senior ministers and military officials.