The Israeli Defence Ministry has confirmed the death of senior Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida in a recent airstrike on Gaza.
Obeida, real name Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, gained notoriety as the public face of the Al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas' armed wing.
Unlike most of the group's senior leadership, he was able to largely retain his anonymity, always appearing with his face covered by a keffiyah.
He first emerged in 2002, occasionally interacting with international media on behalf of Hamas, before being appointed Al-Qassam’s official spokesman in 2005.
In 2014, a photo allegedly revealing his identity was circulated in Israeli media, but the group has repeatedly denied that the man pictured was Obeida.
Defence Minister Israel Katz tweeted over the weekend: "Hamas terror spokesperson Abu Obeida was eliminated in Gaza and sent to meet all the liquidated members of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell.
"Congratulations to the IDF and Shin Bet for the flawless execution.
"Soon, with the intensification of the campaign in Gaza, many more of his criminal partners - Hamas murderers and rapists - will join him there."
A military spokesperson added that the strike was "made possible due to prior intelligence gathered by [Shin Bet] and the IDF's Intelligence Directorate".
Hamas has not confirmed Obeida’s death, though the group has previously refused to admit the deaths of members of its leadership for several months after they were killed.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry did confirm the strike, though, claiming that the IDF had killed dozens of civilians.
According to BBC News, “local journalists” reported that at least seven people had been killed and 20 wounded in the strike.
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