JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL 

Israeli media claimed an assassination attempt on Saturday on Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida.

Public broadcaster KAN said an airstrike targeted the spokesman of Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, in Gaza City.

A military statement confirmed that an airstrike targeted what it called a “key” Hamas member in Gaza City, without giving further details.

The Israeli army said it used precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence in its attack.

Israeli Channel 13 said that Abu Obeida was the target of the airstrike.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the Israeli claim.

Medical sources said early Saturday that seven Palestinian people were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the al-Rimal neighborhood in western Gaza City.

Witnesses said the building was inhabited, with most of its residents being women, children, and displaced civilians.

The attack came as the Israeli army intensified its bombardment of Gaza City neighborhoods since Saturday overnight, after declaring the city a “dangerous combat zone.”

Israel has killed nearly 63,400 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.