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Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, officially announced Sunday the death of Abu Obeida, the group’s spokesperson, saying he was killed in an Israeli strike targeting his location in the Gaza Strip last August.
In a statement released on Sunday, Al-Qassam Brigades said Abu Obeida, the group’s official spokesperson, died after an intense strike targeted his hiding place in the Gaza Strip, leaving him with severe injuries that proved fatal.
Three months before, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the death of Abu Obeida following a joint operation carried out by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
Sources within Hamas denied a statement attributed to Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq regarding the news, describing it as “forged” and urging the public not to spread the Israeli narrative or circulate inaccurate counter-reports.
Hudhayfa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout, known as “Abu Obeida” or “the masked man,” is the official spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing and typically appears in full military attire, with his face covered by a red keffiyeh, standing in front of the Al-Qassam Brigades’ flag or insignia.
Over the past 20 years, he has been among the Palestinian voices most closely associated with armed resistance, gaining global, not only Arab, prominence through speeches against the Israeli occupation, particularly since the start of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, until his reported killing.
In 2006, “Abu Obeida” was appointed spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades. His first public appearance came on June 25, 2006, when armed groups, including Hamas, raided an Israeli military site near the Gaza border.
Abu Obeida began appearing in media accounts in 2002 as one of the senior field commanders in Hamas’ military wing. He attended the movement’s press conferences during that period but never appeared publicly.
After the 2005 disengagement, he was promoted and became the official spokesperson for the movement’s military wing.
In 2013, Abu Obeida earned a master’s degree from the Islamic University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, with a thesis titled “The Holy Land Between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.” A year later, it was reported that he was preparing for doctoral studies.
In his last recorded address, aired on Aug. 29, one day before reports of his death emerged, Abu Obeida said any attempt by the Israeli army to occupy the Gaza Strip would backfire on its political and military leadership, vowing the resistance was ready to inflict harsh lessons on invading forces.
He also said Al-Qassam fighters were at the highest levels of readiness and alert, warning that the enemy’s plans to occupy Gaza would be “disastrous” for its political and military leaders, and arguing that a decision to launch a ground battle would carry grave strategic repercussions for the enemy’s decision-makers.
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