The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced, Monday, December 29, 2025, the death of Abu Obeida, spokesperson for its armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades. The announcement was made through an official press release issued by the Brigades, putting an end to several months of speculation surrounding his fate.
According to the published text, Abu Obeida, whose real name is Hudhayfah Samir al-Kahlout, was martyred during an Israeli strike carried out in the Gaza Strip during the summer of 2025. The press release specifies that his death dates back several months, without providing further details on the exact circumstances of the operation.
This confirmation comes as the Israeli army had, on several occasions, claimed to have targeted and eliminated senior Hamas officials, including its military spokesperson, without the Palestinian movement officially confirming these statements at the time.
A central figure in Hamas’s military communications since the start of the war in Gaza, Abu Obeida had established himself as one of the most publicized faces of the conflict, through video and audio messages broadcast regularly. His real identity had remained unknown to the general public for a long time, the movement having always taken care to preserve the symbolic and clandestine nature of this function.
Death of several other senior officials
In the same statement, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades also announced the death of several other senior officials, including Mohammed Sinwar, presented as one of the leaders of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as other military commanders.
This announcement comes against a backdrop of continuing hostilities in Gaza, marked by heavy human losses and an intensification of the communications war between the different parties to the conflict. It could have a significant symbolic impact on the movement, without its immediate operational implications being, at this stage, clearly established.
