Who is Abu Obaida: Also called The media machine of Hamas
The spokesperson of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, is one of the prominent figures during the Israel-Gaza war. His name is Abu Obaida and he is also known as the media machine of Hamas. They are often seen on social media spreading the organization’s messages online.
His nickname, Abu Ubaydah, is from Abu Ubaydah bin Al-Jarrah, one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam. He was a Muslim military commander. Abu Obaidah became a well-known figure after al-Qassam commander Muhammad al-Dif launched ‘Operation Storm Al-Aqsa’. The attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 was called Operation Storm Al-Aqsa by Hamas. In this attack, 1200 people were killed in southern Israel.
Red cap
No one knows the exact identity of Abu Ubaydah. He always appears in video recordings covering his face with a red kufiya (Palestinian traditional scarf). In the video, he is seen standing next to a written verse from the Quran, explaining the progress and details of Hamas’s military operations. Abu Obaidah shares his speeches through his Telegram channel, which is said to have been launched in 2020. He is not active on any other popular social media platform.
His video speeches are circulating on social media and aired on several news channels. According to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, a popular Arab daily published in London, “Abu Ubaydah was first identified as one of al-Qassam’s field officials in 2002.”
The newspaper said he always covered his face when speaking to the media, mimicking the style of former al-Qassam Brigades leader Imad Aqeel, who was jailed by Israel in 1993.
Spokesperson of Al-Qassam Brigade
In the year 2006, Abu Ubaydah was appointed as the official spokesperson of Al-Qassam Brigades. They first appeared publicly on June 25, 2006, when armed groups including Hamas attacked an Israeli military post near the Gaza border.
Hamas took the action after it claimed that an Israeli airstrike had killed the family of Palestinian girl Hida Ghalia while they were picnicking on the beach, an incident that drew international attention. It drew attention because the incident showed a 10-year-old girl running around like a madman on a Gaza beach shouting ‘Dad, dad, dad’, who was later seen crying over her father’s dead body.
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured during a Hamas attack on an Israeli military post, killing two soldiers and wounding two others.
Later in 2011, Israeli soldier Shalit was released after a deal was agreed between Israel and Hamas. More than 1000 Palestinians were also released under this agreement.
During the 2014 Israel-Gaza war, Abu Obaidah claimed in a televised address that Israeli soldier Shaul Haroun had been captured, although Israel says he is dead.
Secret Identity
Abu Ubaydah’s true identity remains a mystery to many. On October 25, Israeli military spokesman Auchi Adrei tweeted a video showing a photo of a man it claimed was Abu Obeidah. Adrei said in a tweet that the person’s real name was ‘Huzaifa Samir Abdullah Al-Kahlot’.
Hamas and al-Qassam Brigades have not commented on these claims.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Abu Obeidah received a master’s degree in 2013 from the Department of Fundamentals of Religion at the Islamic University of Gaza. It states that he had written a research paper titled ‘The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam’. The newspaper also claimed that Abu Obaidah was preparing for a Ph.D.
According to the same newspaper, Abu Obaidah is originally from the village of Nalia in Gaza, which was occupied by Israel in 1948. Now, according to reports, he lives in Jabalia, in the northeast of Gaza.
The Israeli newspaper says that his house was bombed more than once by Israel in 2008–2012 and in the current operation in the Gaza Strip.
However, We have not been able to independently verify reports that have appeared in Arab and Israeli media.
