The word that many Palestinians today keep repeating is "Abu Ubaida," the military spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. He is not only of interest to Palestinians; he has also made an impression on Israelis amidst a difficult, complex, and fierce battle, becoming an inspiration for many Hamas supporters in both the Arab and Western worlds, while being a despised enemy in Tel Aviv and among its allies.
Since October 7, last year, after Muhammad Deif, the leader of Al-Qassam, declared the initiation of "Al-Aqsa Flood" battle, Abu Ubaida has appeared every few days in pre-recorded speeches, dressed in camouflage soldiers’ uniforms and wrapped in a red keffiyeh, to announce Al-Qassam’s position and discuss the latest updates on the “battle.”
Since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, Abu Ubaida has spoken before or after every pivotal statement and has expertly managed the media war against Israeli spokespersons, according to Palestinian supporters of Hamas. He sometimes precedes them with important information, embarrassing them by announcing the numbers of Israeli casualties or captives before official figures were released in Tel Aviv. He has also put Israelis in a tricky situation by declaring Al-Qassam's desire to release some prisoners, which Israel refused to accept. Moreover, he has been more realistic than the Israelis in describing the developments of the battle on the ground, including announcing the killing of Israeli soldiers long before confirmation came from the Israeli army (which must wait until informing the families of its fallen soldiers before announcing it in the media).
Abu Ubaida, whom Palestinians began to recognize in 2002, uses terms in a linguistic context that often turns into trends or becomes a source of admiration. Palestinians began chanting for him, singing "Oh masked one, oh Abu Kuffiyeh... oh Abu Ubaida, the spirit is strong... your statement is gunpowder," and "Oh Abu Ubaida, oh tormentor of them... a night that terrifies them."
So, who is Abu Ubaida? He first appeared in 2002 as one of Al-Qassam's operational officials and spoke to almost all media outlets at press conferences, but he never appeared with an unveiled face, following the example of the former Al-Qassam leader Imad Aqel, who was killed by Israel in 1993 while carrying out operations wearing a red keffiyeh.
After the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Abu Ubaida was officially appointed as Al-Qassam's spokesperson. He hails from the town of Najila in Gaza, which was occupied by Israel in 1948. He currently lives in Jabalia in northeastern Gaza, according to limited information sourced from Israel. His home has been bombed multiple times, in the years 2008, 2012, 2014, and during the current war in Gaza.
Abu Ubaida gained significant prominence during the 2014 war after announcing the abduction of Israeli soldier Shaul Aron amid ground confrontations, prompting Palestinians to pour into the streets in the West Bank to cheer for him and the "resistance." A demonstration in support of Israel in Prague featured participants holding images of prisoners held by Hamas.
He previously had an account on Twitter (now X) and another on Facebook before they were shut down. Nowadays, Abu Ubaida tweets through Al-Qassam's official site and uses the Telegram app and the Al-Aqsa channel affiliated with Hamas to broadcast his videos, which are rebroadcast by various TV channels and media outlets.
Despite the secrecy surrounding him, Israel claims it knows his true identity. Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee stated that "the masked one Hudaifa Kahloot hides behind the keffiyeh and the name Abu Ubaida". Adraee published a picture of Kahloot, describing him as "a liar and a coward," information that Hamas or Al-Qassam did not pay any attention to or comment on.
Before the 2014 war, Abu Ubaida obtained a master's degree from the Islamic University, focusing on "The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” He is considered the spearhead of the "psychological warfare against Israel" and usually starts his speeches with the phrase "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful", reciting a Quranic verse, and concluding with the phrase, "It is indeed a struggle for victory or martyrdom."
It is evident today that, with his style, red keffiyeh, military uniform, and rolled-up sleeves, Abu Ubaida has become a symbol for many Palestinians and Hamas supporters outside Palestinian territories. Two years ago, a Palestinian child, not exceeding five years old, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque and began shouting at Israeli soldiers in Hebrew, saying, “Abu Ubaida is coming.”
Just two days ago, during a solidarity march with Gaza in Bethlehem in the West Bank, a speech by Abu Ubaida was announced, and demonstrators gathered around a car speaker, chanting his name, which has become a slogan many Palestinians repeat at every demonstration in the West Bank.
At the beginning of the war, amidst sports discussions about a football match, a sports analyst surprised his colleagues by claiming he discovered a new coach stronger than Italian Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid and Spanish Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, named "Abu Ubaida," stating he "taught us total football, attacking football." Furthermore, Egyptian artist Mohamed Ramadan promised to name himself "Abu Ubaida" in an upcoming series, adding in a video clip mocking an Israeli channel that called for a boycott of his works after he advocated for Palestine: "My name in the upcoming series is Abu Ubaida."
