Background
Abu Obaida, known by his real name Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, born 11 February 1985, in Gaza. [2] [3] [4] Before Israel's independence, his family resided in Ni'ilya (near Ashkelon) until they were expelled by Zionist militias during the 1948 Palestine War. [5] [6] Abu Obaida first emerged in 2002, representing the Qassam Brigades to the media and at press conferences. After the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, he was officially appointed the spokesman for Al-Qassam. [7]
According to the United States, Abu Obaida had been the spokesman of the Qassam Brigades since at least 2007. [3] He only appeared wearing a red keffiyeh covering his face. [2] [1]
In 2013, he graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza with a master's degree in Islamic studies. [6]
In 2014, Israeli media outlets released a photo, allegedly of Abu Obaida. However, the validity of the photo and name were denied by the al-Qassam Brigades. [2]
In April 2024, United States Department of Treasury issued sanctions against Abu Obaida and re-asserted his identity as al-Kahlout. [3] [4]
Career
Abu Obaida made his first appearance in 2006, when he announced the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In 2014, he announced the capture of Oron Shaul, who was killed during the 2014 Gaza War and had his body held by Hamas. [5]
In June 2020, in response to plans by Israeli leaders to officially annex parts of the West Bank, Abu Obaida said that "the forces of the resistance will faithfully protect the Palestinian people," and vowed to "make the enemy bite its fingers in regret for such a sinful decision." He described the Israeli plans as a "declaration of war." [8]
During the 2021 escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Abu Obaida said that striking Tel Aviv, Dimona, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beersheba were "easier for us than drinking water," [9] proclaiming that "there are no red lines when responding to the aggression." [10] After a ceasefire agreement was reached, he said, "With the help of God, we were able to humiliate the enemy, its fragile entity and its savage army." [11]
In September 2021, after four out of the six Gilboa prison escapees were rearrested by Israeli forces, Abu Obaida announced that no future prisoner exchange with Israel would take place without freeing the escapees, saying that "if the heroes of the Freedom Tunnel have liberated themselves this time from underground, we promise them and our free prisoners that they will be liberated soon, God willing, from above ground." [12]
In May 2022, in response to Israeli calls to assassinate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following several Palestinian attacks on Israelis, Abu Obaida said that if "the enemy and its failing leadership" hurt Sinwar, it would unleash a "regional earthquake and an unprecedented response." [13]
In June 2022, Abu Obaida announced that the medical condition of one of the Israeli captives in Gaza has deteriorated. [14] The al-Qassam Brigades later released a video showing that the captive in question was Hisham al-Sayed. [15]
In October 2023, during the early stages of the Gaza war, Abu Obaida said that Hamas would kill one civilian hostage every time Israel targeted civilians in their homes in Gaza without warning: "We announce that every targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, we will regretfully meet with the execution of our enemy's civilian hostages." [16] [17]
On the 12-month anniversary of "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," Abu Obaida said he could not rule out further deaths among the remaining Israeli captives due to "the danger of crossfire." He also criticized the Israeli government and Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating: "You could have reclaimed all your captives a year ago," and claimed that Hamas's intention had always been to keep them alive in Gaza and exchange them for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. [18]
On 19 January 2025, in a video message commenting on the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Obaida said Hamas had made every possible effort to protect the lives of the captives held in Gaza since 7 October 2023. “The [ceasefire] deal... could have been reached over a year ago,” he stated, “yet Netanyahu's malicious ambitions led him to continue this genocidal war.” [19]
Hamas 
