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Abu Obaida | |
|---|---|
_-2012_(cropped).jpg) Obaida in 2012 | |
| Native name | أبو عبيدة |
| Birth name | Huthayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout |
| Born | (1985-02-11)11 February 1985 |
| Died | 30 August 2025(2025-08-30) (aged 40) Rimal, Gaza City, Palestine |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Allegiance |  Hamas |
| Branch | Al-Qassam Brigades |
| Years of service | 2002–2025 |
| Rank | Spokesperson |
| Battles / wars | |
Huthayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout (Arabic:حذيفة سمير عبد الله الكحلوت; 11 February 1985 – 30 August 2025), known by thenom de guerreAbu Obaida (Arabic:أبو عبيدة,romanized:Abū ʿUbayda,lit. 'father ofworshippers'; also spelledUbaida,Ubayda,Ubaydah) was a Palestinian militant and spokesperson for theAl-Qassam Brigades, the military wing ofHamas, from 2007 until his death in 2025. He was described as "the central figure of al-Qassam's media campaign."[1]
Huthayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout was born in 1985 in Gaza.[2][3][4] Before Israel's independence, his family resided inNi'ilya (nearAshkelon) until they wereexpelled by Zionist militias during the1948 Palestine War.[5][6] Abu Obaida first emerged in 2002, representing theQassam Brigades to the media and at press conferences. After theIsraeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, he was officially appointed the spokesman for Al-Qassam.[7]
According to the United States, Abu Obaida had been the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades since at least 2007.[3] He only appeared wearing a redkeffiyeh covering his face.[2][1]
In 2013, he graduated from theIslamic University of Gaza with a master's degree in Islamic studies.[6]
In 2014,Israeli media outlets released a photo, allegedly of Abu Obaida. However, the validity of the photo and name were denied by theal-Qassam Brigades.[2]
In April 2024, United States Department of Treasury issued sanctions against Abu Obaida and re-asserted his identity as al-Kahlout.[3][4]
Abu Obaida made his first appearance in 2006, when he announced thecapture of Israeli soldierGilad Shalit. In 2014, he announced the capture ofOron Shaul, who was killed during the2014 Gaza War and had his body held by Hamas.[5]
In June 2020, in response toplans by Israeli leaders to officially annex parts of the West Bank, Abu Obaida said that "the forces of the resistance will faithfully protect the Palestinian people," and vowed to "make the enemy bite its fingers in regret for such a sinful decision." He described the Israeli plans as a "declaration of war."[8]
During the2021 escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Abu Obaida said that strikingTel Aviv,Dimona,Ashdod,Ashkelon andBeersheba were "easier for us than drinking water,"[9] proclaiming that "there are no red lines when responding to the aggression."[10] After a ceasefire agreement was reached, he said, "With the help of God, we were able to humiliate the enemy, its fragile entity and its savage army."[11]
In September 2021, after four out of thesix Gilboa prison escapees were rearrested by Israeli forces, Abu Obaida announced that no future prisoner exchange with Israel would take place without freeing the escapees, saying that "if the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel have liberated themselves this time from underground, we promise them and our free prisoners that they will be liberated soon, God willing, from above ground."[12]
In May 2022, in response to Israeli calls to assassinate Hamas leaderYahya Sinwar following several Palestinian attacks on Israelis, Abu Obaida said that if "the enemy and its failing leadership" hurt Sinwar, it would unleash a "regional earthquake and an unprecedented response."[13]
In June 2022, Abu Obaida announced that the medical condition of one of the Israeli captives inGaza has deteriorated.[14] Theal-Qassam Brigades later released a video showing that the captive in question wasHisham al-Sayed.[15]
In October 2023, during the early stages of theGaza war, Abu Obaida said that Hamas would kill one civilian hostage every time Israel targeted civilians in their homes in Gaza without warning: "We announce that every targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, we will regretfully meet with the execution of our enemy's civilian hostages."[16][17]
On the 12-month anniversary of "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," Abu Obaida said he could not rule out further deaths among the remaining Israeli captives due to "the danger of crossfire." He also criticized the Israeli government and Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating: "You could have reclaimed all your captives a year ago," and claimed that Hamas's intention had always been to keep them alive in Gaza and exchange them forPalestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.[18]
On 19 January 2025, in a video message commenting on the2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Obaida said Hamas had made every possible effort to protect the lives of the captives held in Gaza since 7 October 2023. "The [ceasefire] deal ... could have been reached over a year ago," he stated, “yet Netanyahu's malicious ambitions led him to continue this genocidal war.”[19]
On 30 August 2025, he was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment inGaza City.[20] The strike, which hit the city'sRimal neighborhood, killed at least 11 people, including children.[21][22] A Palestinian source later toldAl Arabiya that he was indeed killed, along with everyone else in the building.[23] Israeli Defense MinisterIsrael Katz and theIsrael Defense Forces confirmed his death the following day.[24][25]
According to a 2024 analysis of Abu Obaida's rhetoric, he declared armed resistance as a legitimate response to the "Zionist occupation," which he described as tyrannical, fascist, genocidal and supported by "Zionists in the White House".[1]
