- The assassination of “Abu Obeida,” the spokesperson of Hamas’s military wing, shakes the organization on the eve of the IDF conquest of Gaza City.
- Hamas’s silence regarding his death exposes its embarrassment and the fragility of the group’s propaganda machine.
On August 30, Israel assassinated Hudhayfah Kahlout, spokesperson of Hamas’s military wing, known as “Abu Obeida,” through an airstrike on an apartment where he was hiding in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood.
Within hours, Israel confirmed his death based on reliable intelligence sources and even issued an official statement.
Yet, to this day, Hamas has remained silent, refusing to either confirm or deny Abu Obeida’s death – raising questions about the considerations and motives behind the organization’s stance.
Hudhayfah Kahlout adopted the codename “Abu Obeida” after Abu Obeida ibn al-Jarrah, one of the ten companions of the Prophet Muhammad, also called “the protector of the nation.”
Over the years, senior al-Qaeda operatives also used this name, including Abu Obeida al-Banshiri and Abu Obeida al-Masri.
The Hamas spokesperson was originally from the town of Naliya in the Gaza Strip, while his family home was in the Jabalia refugee camp. He held a master’s degree from the Islamic University of Gaza, where he wrote a thesis titled “The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”
He first introduced himself to Palestinian media in 2002 as a field commander in Hamas’s military wing. He conducted press conferences while masked, imitating senior Hamas commander Imad Aqel, who was killed by Israel in 1993 and was known for appearing in the media with his head wrapped in a red keffiyeh.
After Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, Kahlout was formally appointed as spokesperson of Hamas’s military wing.
“Abu Obeida,” who consistently appeared in pre-recorded video messages with his face covered, managed to impose his presence not only on Arab and foreign media but also on Israeli outlets.
He would begin his statements with Quranic verses and end with promises of victory. He became an icon of Hamas’s military wing, both among Palestinians and Hamas supporters worldwide.
His name was often chanted during rallies in Jerusalem and the West Bank, alongside that of Mohammed Deif.
He was very close to Hamas leaders Yahya and Mohammad Sinwar, who valued his skills. The IDF tried to assassinate him several times, and his home was bombed in 2008, 2012, 2014, and again during the current war.
Abu Obeida rose to great popularity and media prominence in Gaza during the 2014 war (Operation Protective Edge), when he announced the capture of IDF soldier Oron Shaul.
He initially used Twitter and Facebook but, after his accounts were shut down, switched to Telegram and Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV.
Abu Obeida often outpaced the IDF spokesperson with his announcements, providing key information to the media about battles and Israeli hostages.
Yet, since the beginning of the IDF’s ground operation in Gaza, his messages were increasingly filled with lies and manipulative spins aimed at portraying Hamas as inflicting heavy losses on the IDF.
Although Abu Obeida tried to hide his identity, Israel had revealed his full name long ago. During the current war, the escalation continued: IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee published a statement with an uncovered photo of Abu Obeida, again revealing his true identity as Hudhayfah Kahlout, and called him a “liar and a coward.” Hamas’s military wing ignored the statement entirely.
The official exposure of Abu Obeida’s name and face by the IDF and Shin Bet was part of Israel’s psychological warfare, designed to send a deterrent message to Hamas’s military leadership in Gaza: their end is near, and they will be eliminated by the IDF.
A Brilliant Propagandist and Master of Psychological Warfare
Senior security officials describe Abu Obeida’s assassination as a major operational and intelligence success, causing confusion and embarrassment within Hamas’s leadership.
He was not merely a spokesperson – he was the head of Hamas’s propaganda and psychological warfare apparatus for many years.
His elimination is therefore highly significant in Israel’s struggle against Hamas’s disinformation machine.
According to these officials, Abu Obeida oversaw a massive propaganda network of around 1,500 operatives, built gradually over the years.
His representatives were embedded in Hamas brigades and battalions, running field cameramen, video editors, and Hebrew-speaking spokespeople monitoring Israeli media.
Hamas fighters who carried out attacks against IDF troops in Gaza were equipped with GoPro cameras, transmitting footage in real time to Hamas’s propaganda operations room where it was turned into propaganda videos.
Abu Obeida personally supervised this network and was also responsible for producing hostage videos, staging “release ceremonies” for Israeli captives – until Israel and the U.S. pressured Hamas to halt the practice.
According to security officials, the IDF has so far killed about 200 members of Hamas’s propaganda network. Yet most of the system remains operational.
Hamas has not yet appointed a successor to Abu Obeida, and Israel’s defense establishment assesses that Hamas’s propaganda apparatus has suffered a serious blow, making it difficult for the group to find a replacement capable of filling his role.
Why Is Hamas Silent?
For now, Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied Abu Obeida’s assassination. The Palestinian public largely believes the Israeli version and wonders whether the silence reflects a communications tactic or an internal dilemma within Hamas’s leadership.
Senior Israeli security officials note that such silence is not new – Hamas often delays its statements following targeted Israeli assassinations, raising questions whether this stems from attempts to verify the information or from a deliberate strategy of ambiguity.
On August 31, Hamas-affiliated commentator Ibrahim al-Madhoun told Sky News Arabia: “First, we must obtain true information and verify it. This is not a normal war, and the communications system is different. I believe Hamas is delaying the announcement of his death to a later stage. The priority now is to manage the battle, not the media.”
Security sources say Hamas is in shock and seeks to create the illusion that the Israeli assassination attempt failed, and that Abu Obeida survived – preserving the myth of an invincible hero who repeatedly escapes Israeli attempts on his life.
In doing so, Hamas aims to reinforce its narrative that Israeli intelligence is incompetent and that despite Israel’s technological superiority, even after two years of intense fighting in Gaza, it has failed to eliminate Abu Obeida or defeat Hamas.
The timing of Abu Obeida’s assassination is significant – just before the planned conquest of Gaza City, Hamas’s most important stronghold in the Strip. His elimination constitutes both a moral and operational blow to Hamas and is expected to deeply impact its propaganda operations.
