The elimination of Nael Abu Obeid, commander of Hamas' Rafah Brigade, was no coincidence. It was the result of prolonged, painstaking work by command-and-control officers in the IDF Southern Command, culminating several days ago in a drone strike in the southern Gaza Strip.
"The moment we received the precise intelligence, we launched the operation at maximum speed," personnel at the command-and-control center said.
"His elimination is the kind of operation we prepare for over a long period. A tremendous amount of effort, overtime and work with numerous partners goes into it. We have known the target for some time. He was a very active figure whose name we knew well," they said.
Abu Obeid was involved in Hamas terrorist activity even before the Oct. 7 attacks and over the years held a long series of key positions, beginning at the field level, continuing as the Rafah Brigade's intelligence officer and eventually commanding battalions.
Command-and-control personnel said his killing was not only a severe blow to the terrorist organization, but that the main motivation was to directly protect troops operating deep inside the Gaza Strip.
"When you know the target poses a direct threat to your friends who are currently on the ground, the sense of satisfaction when it succeeds is incredible. You know clearly that you have eliminated a threat that could, God forbid, have harmed our forces."
Abu Obeid replaced his predecessor, Muhammad Shabana, in May last year after Shabana was eliminated in Khan Younis alongside Mohammed Sinwar, then head of Hamas' military wing.
"Senior figures at his level don't stay in their homes," said N., an intelligence researcher in the Southern Command. He offered a glimpse into the senior Hamas figure who was killed and the role he played in the organization's combat operations.
IDF statement following the elimination
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)
"After his predecessor was eliminated, he led efforts to rebuild the Rafah Brigade in a hawkish and aggressive manner. He worked on force buildup, expanding weapons capabilities and terrorist activity against the troops.
"Senior figures understand that they are targets. They move between hideouts and keep the circle of people who know about them to an absolute minimum. Our job in intelligence is to figure out where he is, to search in unexpected places and penetrate the layers of concealment around him. Ultimately, he was eliminated inside a hideout. Recently, he was one of Hamas' most prominent and influential brigade commanders. Every decision in the Rafah Brigade went through him."
A string of targeted eliminations in Gaza
The targeted hunt for Hamas brigade commanders and field commanders, alongside other killings including those of other brigade commanders in the Gaza Strip, is making it significantly more difficult for Hamas to maintain its chain of command or rebuild its capabilities.
Intelligence and command-and-control personnel said, "Every terrorist is in our sights, but reaching senior and influential targets like these completely disrupts the enemy's ability to carry out organized operations. We will continue to devote the maximum resources and effort needed to reach every one of them."
The killing last week, led by the Southern Command, came after an intensive series of operations targeting senior Hamas figures. The night before, Ahmad Batash, commander of the Jabaliya Battalion in the Hamas military wing's Northern Gaza Brigade, was eliminated.
About a week ago, Mohsen Farid Said Abu Hadaf, head of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket cell, was eliminated in Khan Younis. Two days earlier, Muhammad Yazouri, commander of Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade, was eliminated in the Gaza Strip's al-Mawasi area.