On this day: ‘Israel’ kills long-time Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida
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One year ago, on August 30, ‘Israel’ had killed Hamas’s longtime military spokesman Hudhayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, known as Abu Obaida , in an airstrike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.
‘Israeli’ Defense Minister Israel Katz had confirmed the killing the following day on August 31, writing on X that “Hamas terror spokesperson Abu Ubaida was eliminated in Gaza and sent to meet all the liquidated members of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell.”
The ‘Israeli’ military described Abu Obaida as “the face of the terrorist organization” and one of the last senior figures in Hamas’s military wing from before the events of October 7.
For more than a decade he headed the Qassam Brigades’ media apparatus, overseeing spokesmanship across units, coordinating with political media elements, setting media policy, releasing statements and videos.
Always appearing masked in a red-checkered keffiyeh, Abu Obaida had been the public voice of the Al-Qassam Brigades since the mid-2000s.
He rose to prominence announcing the 2006 capture of ‘Israeli’ soldier Gilad Shalit and later delivered defiant statements during successive Gaza conflicts, becoming a recognizable figure across the Arab world.
Hamas did not immediately acknowledge the death.
Nearly a dozen people, including children, were killed in the strike.
On December 29, 2025, Hamas’s armed wing formally confirmed the killing for the first time and introduced a new masked spokesman who adopted the same nom de guerre.
In a video statement the new Abu Obaida said: “We have inherited the title ‘Abu Obaida’ from the commander Hudhaifa al-Kahlout, and we pledge to continue the journey.”
He also mourned “the great leader Huthaifa Samir al-Kahlout, Abu Ibrahim, the head of al-Qassam’s media apparatus, who passed away after two decades of frustrating the enemies and uplifting the hearts of the believers.”
A Qassam Telegram message referred to him as “the masked man loved by millions … the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades.”
As the first anniversary arrives, Abu Obaida’s death remains a symbolic marker in the ongoing conflict.
