Israel officially confirmed Sunday that Abu Obaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, was killed in an IDF strike in Gaza City on Saturday.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Abu Obaida, whose real name is Hudhayfa Samir Abdullah al-Kahlout, was sent to join all the thwarted terrorists of the axis of evil from Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen at the bottom of hell. Congratulations to the IDF and Shin Bet for the perfect execution. Soon, as the campaign in Gaza intensifies, many more of his partners in crime — the murderers and rapists of Hamas — will join him there.”
Abu Obaida was the most recognizable face — though always masked — of Hamas’ armed wing. For years, he appeared in televised statements and recorded messages wearing his trademark red keffiyeh, becoming a widely known and admired figure among Hamas supporters across the Arab world.
He first emerged in the media in 2002 as a senior field operative and attended all Hamas press conferences at the time, though he never showed his face. After Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, he was promoted to become the official spokesman for the military wing.
In 2013, Abu Obaida completed a master’s degree in Islamic studies at the Islamic University in Gaza, with a thesis titled “The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.” A year later, reports said he was preparing for doctoral studies.
His nom de guerre was likely chosen in reference to Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who became a commander in the early Muslim caliphate.
Before Israel’s War of Independence, Abu Obaida’s family lived in the village of Na’aliya near Ashkelon. In recent decades, he resided in Jabaliya in northern Gaza. His home was bombed several times by Israel between 2008 and 2012, and again during the 2014 Gaza war.
Abu Obaida became a central propaganda figure for Hamas, delivering daily updates on the fighting during the current war, often through the Qatari network Al Jazeera. On social media, he was idolized by supporters who referred to him simply as “the masked man.”