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Who was Abu Obaida? Hamas confirms death of its prominent masked voice
Who was Abu Obaida? Hamas confirms death of its masked voice in August, names new spokesperson
Hamas on Monday confirmed that its longtime spokesman Abu Obaida was killed following an Israeli strike in August in war-torn Gaza. Hamas also confirmed that its Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar was killed in the Gaza war earlier this year.
This is the first time the Hamas publicly acknowledged the death of two of its prominent figuress.
The Israeli military said in May that it had killed Sinwar, the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Israel said on August 31 that its forces had killed Obaida, in an airstrike on Gaza.
Hamas, however, didn't say how he the two were killed and when.
The announcement came hours before US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Florida on Monday as Washington seeks fresh momentum for the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
Who was Abu Obaida?
Huthayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, known by the nom de guerre Abu Obaida was a Palestinian militant and spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, from 2007 until his death in 2025. He was described as "the central figure of al-Qassam's media campaign."Obaida was born in Gaza in 1985. He first emerged in 2004, appearing in media briefings and press conferences on behalf of the Qassam Brigades. After Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, he was officially appointed the group's spokesperson.
Abu Obaida had been among the most recognisable figures of the Qassam Brigades, since the group seized control of Gaza in 2007 from the the rival Palestinian group Fatah. He often delivered statements while masked, especially during major escalations, setting the tone for Hamas' threatening messaging and posture toward Israel.
Obaida ‘embodied resistance' for many
For many Palestinians, Abu Obaida embodied resistance, his masked figure a fixture of televised statements during times of war. For Israel, he was a propaganda figurehead of a militant movement it has vowed to dismantle. His reported death, unacknowledged so far by Hamas, signals another blow to the group's leadership structure.Obaisa's speeches, delivered behind a red keffiyeh, became iconic across the Arab world, projecting defiance, resilience, and the unbroken will of the Palestinian people, according to a report in Tehran Times.
“From his first public appearance in 2004 during an Israeli ground assault in northern Gaza, he became the sole military spokesman of the Brigades, embodying the steadfastness of the resistance,” the report said,
The Israeli military, however, said Obaida was key in Hamas' media and propaganda apparatus, saying the strike that killed him built on Israeli intelligence about his whereabouts.
Obaida's prominence grew after Hamas'attack in southern Israel on 7 October, 2023—dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm— and the subsequent war in Gaza. Obaida was the first to announce the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, and later Shaul Aron in 2014.
Condemned Arab Governments
In 2024, Obaida condemned Arab governments for failing to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, declaring “God forbid Palestinians ask Arab rulers to intervene militarily, but their failure to even provide relief supplies shocked Hamas.”Hamas released a new video on the Telegram messaging channel on Monday featuring the group's new spokesman, who said he was the new Abu Obaida and that he had inherited the nickname. The man, wearing a mask like his predecessor, did not give his actual name.
But he indicated Hamas' refusal to disarm — in violation of the US-brokered ceasefire deal in place since October.
“Our people are defending themselves and will not give up their weapons as long as the occupation remains,” the spokesman said.
When did Israel-Hamas War
The fresh Israel-Hamas war started after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which the militants killed an estimated 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted around 250 hostages.Since the ceasefire started on October 10, Gaza's Health Ministry says that 414 people have been killed and 1,142 have been wounded in the coastal enclave. The overall Palestinian death toll from the war is at least 71,266.
The ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
(With agency inputs)
Source: LiveMint
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