Thousands of Palestinians have begun leaving Gaza City as Israel prepares for a major offensive to seize what it calls the “capital of Hamas.” The exodus comes as reports circulate that Abu Obeida, the masked spokesman of Hamas’ military wing, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli security officials estimate that 10,000 to 12,000 people have fled the city in recent days, though hundreds of thousands remain. Witnesses described nighttime convoys of displaced families crossing the Wadi Gaza bridge west of Nuseirat refugee camp, some traveling by vehicle and others on foot.
“All we have left are a few empty plastic bags,” said Abu Nasser al-Qassas, who fled the destroyed Shujaiya neighborhood with his wife and five children. “We slept on the pavement after we couldn’t find space in schools or mosques. My youngest son won’t stop crying. Every sound makes him think a tank is about to crush us.”
The Israeli military is urging residents to move south in advance of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. An Israeli official told The Associated Press that airdrops of humanitarian aid over Gaza City will soon end and the entry of aid trucks will be reduced. Earlier this week the military canceled humanitarian pauses in the city.
A Palestinian source told the Saudi-owned channel Al Arabiya on Sunday that Abu Obeida was killed in an Israeli strike Saturday night in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood. The source said his body was identified by family members and Hamas commanders, though the group has not confirmed his death.
Abu Obeida became one of Hamas’ most recognizable figures during the war, often appearing in recorded statements wearing his trademark red keffiyeh. He first emerged in 2002 as a senior operative and was promoted in 2005 to serve as spokesman of the group’s military wing. Israel later identified him as Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout and accused him of hiding behind masks and civilians.
Gaza’s municipality has warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis, saying “hundreds of thousands” are crowded into central and western areas with little food, water or shelter. Hamas has sought to block evacuations, telling residents there is “no place in the south” and urging them to stay put.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said a safe mass evacuation “is not possible,” citing extreme shortages of essentials. “Israeli evacuation instructions pose a real danger to civilians and amount to preparations for the occupation of the city,” the group said.
Amid the displacement, the United Arab Emirates inaugurated a project in the southern al-Mawasi zone expected to supply drinking water to more than 600,000 people.