Abu Obaida (Hamas)

spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades

Abu Obaida (Arabic: أبو عبيدة) also spelled as Abu Obayda, Abu Ubayda and Abu Ubaydah, is the war name of a Palestinian who is the spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian organization Hamas since 2006.[1]

Abu Obaida
أبو عبيدة
Image of Abu Obaida at Istanbul Wall
Born
Gaza, Palestine
NationalityPalestinian
OrganizationAl-Qassam Brigades

He was nicknamed Abu Ubaidah after the companion of Mohammad who conquered Jerusalem, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, who lived during the reign of Caliph Umar.[2]

Identity

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Abu Obaida appeared for the first time as official spokesperson for Al-Qassam Brigades in 2004 but he gained spotlight when he announced the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by the Al-Qassam Brigades in 2006.[3] He was previously seen on screen as a field official between 2002-2004,[4] but his identity remains unknown and his face does not appear in the media as he covers his face with a Keffiyeh for security purpose.[5] Palestinian reports indicate that his face is known only to a small number of people.[3] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported multiple times that they have revealed Abu Obeida's identity but Hamas has denied the claims citing propaganda.[6][7]

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References

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  1. "What about Hamas? Question snarls peace bid". NBC News. 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  2. Al-Nazer, Ahmed (11 October 2023). "يخشاه ويصدقه الإسرائيليون.. من هو أبو عبيدة الناطق باسم كتائب القسام؟". Cairo 24 (in Arabic).
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Abu Ubaida...the voice of the Palestinian resistance in light of the conflict". TRT Arabic (in Arabic). 11 October 2023.
  4. "Who is Abu Ubaida? Hamas' masked spokesperson resurfaces with chilling warning for Israel". WION. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  5. "Hamas denies that it has military positions in civilian areas in the besieged Gaza Strip". New Arab.
  6. "IDF: This is the true identity of Hamas terrorist Abu Obaida". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  7. "القسام: صورة أبو عبيدة المتداولة غير حقيقية". zamnpress.com. 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2023-11-19.