Did Abu Obeida Make the Critical Mistake Intelligence Officials Hoped For?
When the war began, the spokesman for Hamas’s military wing vanished without a trace, maintaining even stricter operational security than Yahya Sinwar. But now Abu Obeida has emerged from hiding and been exposed. The big question: by the time the bomb hit the building, was he still inside?
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Long before the war and the October 7 massacre, senior officers in IDF Southern Command insisted on classifying Abu Obeida, Hamas’s military spokesman, as a top target for surveillance and elimination. Some in Israel’s security establishment, however, disagreed, according to a Walla report.
By the time the war broke out, it was already too late: Abu Obeida disappeared completely, maintaining an extremely high level of compartmentalization, even greater than that of Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Mohammed Sinwar, and Marwan Issa. Security sources believe there was a brief window to eliminate him during the war, but fear of extensive civilian casualties combined with his fleeting exposure allowed him to escape.
This morning, Saudi channel Al Arabiya reported that a Palestinian source claims Abu Obeida was killed yesterday, along with everyone inside the building targeted by an Israeli Air Force strike in Gaza.
A Palestinian source told Sky News Arabia that the house Israel struck in Gaza yesterday had been rented by the family of Hamas military spokesman Abu Obaida just a few days earlier.
The source added that Abu Obaida’s wife and children were inside the house at the time.
According to the Palestinian source, members of Hamas’s military wing sealed off the area of the strike and prevented residents from approaching to recover bodies.
Over the years, Abu Obeida became an icon in the Arab world, a figure whose statements echoed widely. In Turkey, he even attained “celebrity” status, appearing on giant posters and graffiti. At first, Israeli intelligence revealed his real name to put pressure on him, hoping he would slip up.
*“He is known to be narcissistic,”* said one security source. “He has an exceptional grasp of psychological warfare and plays a central role in Hamas’s information war against Israel. He runs the machine. Unfortunately, he’s trained successors.”
According to intelligence sources, Abu Obeida recently left his hiding place and was exposed. The big question remains: was he still there when the bomb hit? “One thing is clear,” a security source added. “In the end, everyone makes mistakes, it’s just a matter of time before they’re eliminated.”
At this stage, Israel’s defense establishment is still awaiting confirmation of the strike’s outcome. The operation was launched after Shin Bet provided precise intelligence. The Air Force targeted a building housing Hamas’s military spokesman, whom Shin Bet has hunted for more than 15 years. Before the strike, extensive precautions were taken to limit civilian harm, including precision munitions, aerial surveillance, and advance intelligence.
Abu Obeida has served as Hamas’s military spokesman since 2004. He formally assumed the role when, wearing a keffiyeh that left only his eyes visible, he delivered a recorded message announcing the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. Since then, he has been the face of Hamas’s key military statements and psychological warfare campaigns.