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Israel’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Sunday threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders abroad as Tel Aviv pressed ahead with its war on the Gaza Strip.
“Our actions are not yet complete; most of the remaining Hamas leadership is abroad, and we will reach them as well,” Zamir said in remarks cited by a military statement.
He added that the Israeli army is “operating offensively, with initiative and operational superiority, across all arenas and at all times,” including “significant Israeli army strikes in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and other arenas.”
Earlier Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida was killed in a joint operation carried out by the army and the Shin Bet domestic security agency in Gaza.
Katz’s statement followed reports that the Israeli army had targeted Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, in its latest strike on Gaza. Israel-based Channel 12 reported Saturday, citing an Israeli army official, that the military attempted to assassinate the spokesman, but it was not clear whether the strike succeeded.
Hamas has not confirmed the Israeli claim.
The current offensive is part of Operation Gideon 2, approved by Katz on Aug. 21, with the stated goal of occupying Gaza City. The operation began two weeks ago in the Zeitoun neighborhood with large-scale attacks that remain ongoing.
Israel’s military campaign has killed nearly 63,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The enclave has been left in ruins and faces famine.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.
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