1 September 2025 | 13:14 CAT
3-minute read

In this week’s Palestine Report, Moulana Ebrahim Moosa discussed Israel’s claims of assassinating Abu Ubaidah, its brutal urban warfare on Gaza City, shifts in global public opinion—particularly among US youth—and mounting international solidarity efforts.

Israel recently claimed to have killed Abu Ubaidah, spokesperson of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades—a figure emblematic of the resistance through his masked, eloquent battlefield broadcasts. Moulana Moosa cautioned that no definitive confirmation is available, noting that Hamas has yet to issue an official statement.

“If he had been martyred, if it is true… the fact that they are now mentioning sensitive or previously sensitive details about his life… does indicate that perhaps these individuals on the ground seem to have verified that it may have occurred,” Moulana Moosa said.

He explained that such disclosures of personal details often signal credibility—but stressed that Hamas’s formal confirmation could still be delayed by strategic considerations.

According to civil defence officials in Gaza, Israeli forces have deployed armoured personnel carriers rigged with explosives—so-called “robots”—into residential neighbourhoods. These devices, remotely detonated in densely populated areas, have reportedly destroyed hundreds of buildings, inflicting catastrophic damage.

Local reports describe blast radii of up to 100 meters, obliterating entire streets, schools, and displacement centers:

• The National News confirms such “explosive robots” produce total destruction within 100 meters and have been deployed extensively in Gaza City, including Al-Zeitoun, where over 50 were detonated.
• Eyewitness and civil defence testimonies corroborate mass demolition through robotic vehicles alongside airstrikes and bulldozing operations, resulting in the destruction of well over 1 500 buildings since early August.

Although Israel calls its ongoing offensive “Gideon’s Chariot 2,” internal assessments of the earlier phase—“Gideon’s Chariot 1”—report critical failures. Those include lack of military or political success, no prisoners rescued, depleted troops, lost international legitimacy, poor planning, and a staggering cost of 25 billion shekels.

Moosa pointed to a US-based survey showing that 60 percent of young voters aged 18–24 expressed support for the resistance in Gaza—and even Hamas itself amid the ongoing genocide. Recent polling confirms dramatic generational polarisation:

• A Harvard–Harris poll conducted between 20–21 August 2025 found that 60 percent of Generation Z (18–24-year-olds) support Hamas over Israel, compared to strong pro-Israel sentiment in older age groups.
• Additional data echoes this generational divide: half of US respondents—especially younger ones—believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

These shifts reflect not only political realignments but also a transformation in moral and informational landscapes—underpinned by social media platforms like TikTok, where Palestinian narratives resonate profoundly among youth.

On the front of global solidarity, the Sumud flotilla has mobilised over 300 activists from 44 countries—including at least 10 South Africans—who are navigating aid boats laden with food, medicine, and essential supplies toward Gaza. The first wave launched from Barcelona, with reinforcements expected from Tunisia in the coming week.

Simultaneously, legal and activist pressure continues to escalate internationally. South Africa recently cancelled a planned visit by Major General Doron Al-Mogh of the Israeli Army—and now serving in the Jewish Agency—amid fears of legal accountability for alleged war crimes.

Listen to the Palestine Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.