Hamas has confirmed the death of Abu Ubaida, the high-profile spokesperson of its armed wing, months after reports first emerged that he had been killed by Israel in Gaza.
The ruling Palestinian faction in Gaza said Abu Ubaida was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City around August 30, making this the first official confirmation of his death nearly four months later.
In a statement, Hamas said its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had also lost several senior figures in the same period, including Mohammed Shabanah, commander of the Rafah Brigade, as well as Hakam al-Issi and Raed Saad.
The group had previously remained silent or ambiguous about Abu Ubaida’s fate, a pattern it has followed in the past when senior figures were believed to have been killed.
Who was Abu Ubaida?
Abu Ubaida, real name Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, was the long-serving spokesperson of the Hamas’ military wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Born in Gaza City in 1985, he became the recognised public voice of Hamas’s armed wing from at least 2007.
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For nearly two decades, he delivered statements during wars and major operations, always appearing masked and dressed in military fatigues. He played a central role in shaping Hamas’s military media strategy and coordinating messaging across its brigades.
Israeli officials have long described him as a key figure in what they term Hamas’s psychological warfare, particularly following the October 7 attacks in 2023.
Analysts have noted that his masked appearances and defiant rhetoric made him a symbolic figure in armed resistance discourse across the Arab and Muslim world.
Despite his prominence, his identity remained secret for many years, with Israeli intelligence publicly naming him only in 2023.
Death and reaction
Israeli military officials said Abu Ubaida was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood in late August 2025. Initial claims came from Israeli sources and were later echoed by Palestinian reports.
Hamas’s delayed confirmation appears consistent with its approach of verifying and formally announcing the deaths of senior operatives only after extended internal confirmation.
Israeli leaders have portrayed his killing as a significant blow to Hamas’s media and communications apparatus, given his central role in shaping the group’s public messaging.
Abu Ubaida’s death comes amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, backed by the US, which has levelled much of the enclave, displaced nearly two million Palestinians, and triggered mounting international alarm over mass civilian casualties and humanitarian collapse.
