Hamas armed wing confirms death of spokesman Abu Obeida

Hamas confirmed ⁠on ​Monday the death of ​its armed wing ‌spokesman, Abu ​Obeida, months after Israel announced he had been killed in an air strike in Gaza.

Al Qassam Brigades released a video statement on Telegram, saying: "We pause in reverence before ... the masked man loved by millions ... the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida".

Israel said it killed Abu Obeida in a strike on Al Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza city on August 30.

The new Al Qassam spokesman, also called Abu Obeida, also confirmed the death of Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip.

Israel said it had identified Mr Sinwar's body in June in a tunnel in Khan Younis, central Gaza. The Israeli military said it had "eliminated" him on May 13.

Mr Sinwar had reportedly led Al Qassam Brigades' military council after the death of commander Mohammed Deif.

Al Qassam's spokesman also announced the death of other leading commanders, including Mohamed Shabana of the Rafah Brigade; Raed Saad of the military manufacturing department; and Hakam Al Essa, who ran the weapons and combat services.

Mr Saad was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza city this month, raising fears over the effectiveness of the US-backed ceasefire that began on October 10. The attack killed five others and wounded 25, the enclave's health authorities said.

Al Qassam Brigades' statement was released hours before US President Donald Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss the second phase of the Gaza peace plan. One of the key sticking points is Hamas's refusal to disarm.

"We in the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] affirm that the occupation’s crimes of assassinating leaders, symbols and sons of our oppressed Palestinian people will not succeed in breaking our will, the strength and bravery of our resistance, or deterring us from continuing the path of resistance," Al Qassam Brigades' spokesman said.

He vowed the group would remain steadfast on its principles "until we obtain our national rights in full and without compromise, foremost among them the liberation of the land and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital".

The war in Gaza began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 251 taken hostage.

Israel's military campaign has killed more than 71,266 people, mostly civilians, Gaza health officials say, and created a humanitarian crisis in the territory.

All but one of the hostages has been returned to Israel under the terms of the ceasefire.