Israeli troops kill senior Hamas spokesman, escalating military operations in Gaza City exacerbates humanitarian crisis

China News Agency Gaza | September 1, according to the Associated Press, the Israeli military confirmed on Sunday that it had killed Abu Obaida, a long-time spokesman for the Hamas armed faction Al-Qassam Brigades. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the spokesman, whose real name is Hudahaifa Kahlout, was killed last weekend in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas has not commented on this yet.

“Symbol of War.”

The Associated Press stated that Abu Obeida, as the spokesman of the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades, has long appeared in video statements in a masked image, releasing information on the results of Hamas militants, and is regarded by the outside world as a "symbol of the Gaza Strip".

His last public statement was made on Friday, as Israel began a new offensive against Gaza City.

In a statement, he said the militants would do their best to protect the living hostages, but warned that the hostages were still in the fighting zone and claimed that the hostages 'bodies would "disappear forever."

The Israeli military pointed out that Obeida was behind the release of hostage videos and videos of the October 7, 2023 attack.

The Israeli army also reiterated its threats to remaining Hamas leaders abroad.

Gaza City becomes a war zone

The attack comes amid a meeting of Israel's security cabinet to discuss expanding military operations in Gaza's most densely populated area.

An official who refused to disclose the names said the meeting did not discuss a plan for ceasefire negotiations.

The Israeli Defense Forces announced on August 29 that the previous “tactical military suspension” was no longer applicable to Gaza City, which has been defined as a “war zone”.

Israeli military spokesman Avike Adray urged residents of Gaza City to move south, saying the evacuation was “inevitable.”

The Israeli army has deployed large numbers of troops in the outskirts of the city and has begun the initial phase of the preliminary operation and offensive on Gaza City.

The humanitarian crisis intensifies.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza City is deteriorating sharply.

According to UN agencies, more than half a million people are starving in Gaza, the first time a famine has been officially confirmed in the Middle East.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said seven other Palestinian adults have died in the past 24 hours from malnutrition-related causes.

Since the start of the statistics in June, 215 adults have died from malnutrition, while 124 children have died from malnutrition since the start of the war.

International Red Cross Chair Miriana Spolyaritz Egger warned that mass transfers of Gaza’s residents “cannot be carried out in a safe and dignified way” when civilian infrastructure is severely damaged and resources are extremely scarce.

The plight and displacement of civilians

Some 1 million of the more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip are currently in Gaza City, including the local population and a large number of people displaced by the conflict.

According to UN statistics, more than 90% of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced at least once during the war, many of whom have been displaced repeatedly.

For weeks, Israel has been conducting military operations on the outskirts of Gaza City in preparation for a full-scale offensive.

The military has urged hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City to flee to the south, but many say they are exhausted after multiple displacements or do not believe there is any safe place in Gaza.