Abu Ubaida Al-Qassam
Abu Ubaida, also spelled Abu Abaida, Abu Obayda, Abu Ubayda and Abu Ubaydah, is the nom de guerre of a Palestinian militant who is the spokeperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) . Abu Ubaida is considered one of the most wanted people on Israeli hit lists due to him being considered the main artery of the psychological and media warfare imposed by Hamas.
The US Treasury Department said that the United States issued sanctions on Friday 12 April 2024 against Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the military wing of Hamas, and leaders of the Palestinian movement’s drone unit, which Washington lists as terrorists. The Department added in a statement that the European Union is simultaneously imposing sanctions targeting Hamas. The sanctions targeted Hudhayfah Samir Abdullah Al-Kahlot, known as “Abu Ubaida,” who has been the spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas in Gaza, since at least 2007. The Department statement said that Abu Ubaida publicly threatened to execute civilian hostages held by Hamas following the movement's attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Abu Ubaida leads the Cyber Influence Department in the Al-Qassam Brigades. He participated in purchasing servers and domains in Iran to host the official website of the Qassam Brigades in cooperation with Iranian institutions, according to the Treasury Department. The sanctions also affected William Abu Shanab, commander of the Northern unit stationed in Lebanon, Baraa Hassan Farhat, Abu Shanab’s assistant, and Khalil Muhammad Azzam, an intelligence official.
Abu Ubaida does not lie to the Arab citizen as leaders’ speeches are accustomed to. In recent decades, Arabs have long been accustomed to their leaders' long speeches, which are often filled with propaganda that is not supported by facts. As for Abu Ubaida, he has another way of addressing his Arab viewers. He is completely realistic in his speech and does not tend to exaggerate. For example, in an interview in 2012, Abu Ubaida spoke clearly about the weakness of the military resistance’s capabilities compared to the capabilities of the occupation army, but he also spoke about the great difficulty imposed by the nature of the geographical environment of Gaza, as an environment that constitutes a challenge to the occupation army, which aims to subjugate the resistance militarily. On the other hand, Abu Ubaidah’s speeches are brief and do not exceed ten minutes.
His words are also not devoid of messages of a sarcastic nature, the most famous of which is when he said: “To the leaders and rulers of our Arab nation.” We say to you from the heart of the battle, the details of which you are undoubtedly watching on your screens, that we are not asking you to take action to defend the children of Arabism and Islam in Gaza by moving your armies and tanks, God forbid, nor to defend your most sacred sanctities, in which sanctities are being violated by outliers. Until the word “God forbid” became widespread across social media sites and became a proverb in contexts of failure.
The Palestinian young man wearing the red keffiyeh with the insignia of the Al-Qassam Brigades chose the name “Abu Ubaida” in imitation of the name of Abu Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah, the great companion who conquered Palestine and attended the arrival of the Muslim Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab to the city of Jerusalem, received the keys to its doors, and included Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Islamic world.
In an era where everyone is chasing fame, full stardom came to a masked man who did not ask for it and only his eyes were visible from his face. A man whose popularity throughout the Arab world today cannot be rivaled by anyone, even though no one knows his true face and perhaps we will never know him at all, except for a very few members of the resistance leaders in Gaza. Perhaps the man actually passes among the people in the Strip with his face without anyone recognizing him, just like the superheroes in the movies who in the evening wear suits and masks that hide their identities and fight the city’s villains, without people seeing their true faces, but only seeing their traces.
He is the masked Abu Ubaida, the official media spokesman for the “Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades,” the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas,” in whom large sectors of the Arab people have come to see as their spokesman as well, as the man’s star has skyrocketed and waiting for his speeches has become a ritual. Essential in the Arab countries, with a clear emotional connection to him, he turned into the most famous icon of the ongoing war that began with Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7, 2023.
In Egypt, popular songs were made for Abu Ubaida, and in Amman, young people in gyms stopped exercising to follow his speeches, and mosques broadcast what he said over loudspeakers, and in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, exam questions in schools included his name, and a picture spread in the streets of Beirut with the words “The Speaker” written on it. In the name of the nation”, while children in Algeria compete to play his role in their plays and games, and even in Turkey, imitating Abu Ubaidah has become a children’s game, in addition to hanging his pictures in some cafes. Pictures have spread on social networking sites of young children from various Arab countries watching his speeches or imitating him, as well as other pictures of elderly people standing in reverence despite their illness as they watch his speech out of respect for him.
The name Abu Ubaida comes after the “Conqueror of Jerusalem,” the companion Abu Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah, may God be pleased with him, during the reign of Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab. Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah is one of the ten promised Paradise , as the Prophet said: “Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Omar is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Othman is in Paradise, Talha is in Paradise, Al-Zubayr is in Paradise, Abd al-Rahman bin Awf is in Paradise, and Saad bin Abi Waqqas is in Paradise, Saeed bin Zaid bin Amr bin Nufayl is in Paradise, and Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah is in Paradise.” Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah pledged to the Prophet that he would spend his life for the sake of God, and he fulfilled his pledge and fulfilled his promise. He was one of the people of two migrations, as he immigrated to Abyssinia in the second migration, and he migrated from Mecca to Medina.
In the Battle of Badr, Abu Ubaida saw his father among the ranks of the polytheists and moved away from him, while his father insisted on killing him. The son found no escape from confronting his father, and the two swords met, so the polytheist father fell. He was killed, by the hand of his son, who preferred the love of God and His Messenger to the love of his father.
Since 2005, the Palestinian resistance has given increasing importance to the media role, and Al-Qassam has been interested from an early stage in establishing the Military Information Department and has made great strides in this regard, whether by developing and formulating content, or by technical development and filming military operations, and so on. From the beginning, Al-Qassam military media chose to be characterized by accuracy, directness, and brevity. This is what made the appearance of military spokesman Abu Ubaida something expected by the Arab masses, because they do not feel that he comes out except when the need arises.
Abu Ubaida's fame has increased in light of the Palestinian resistance operations, but his appearance is not new. He appeared on screen for the first time in 2006, announcing the news of the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by the Qassam Brigades, and since that time his identity remains unknown.
Many believe that Abu Ubaida appeared for the first time on screen in 2006, when he announced to the Arab public the news of the Al-Qassam Brigades’ capture of the Israeli soldier “Gilad Shalit”, but the reality is that the man was appointed to the position of Al-Qassam spokesman following the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Gaza in 2005. At that time, Abu Ubaida appeared in an old film filmed by Al Jazeera in 2005, but its broadcast was delayed until 2014, entitled “ Al-Qassam Brigades hosted by Venice for the First Time .” He appeared with his mask at the beginning of his career before it became a well-known flag for all Arab audiences. The features of Abu Ubaidah’s speech appeared in the film, which accompanied him for many years after that and contributed to his overwhelming popularity today, the most important of which is accuracy. The first goal of his speech was to accurately chronicle the operations carried out by the brigades using the tunnels, mentioning the numbers and dates with great accuracy.
Abu Ubaida’s resolute voice, announcing the success of the resistance operation to respond to the occupation, was like a consoling embrace and a clear declaration that Arab dignity had not died, as if his speech was saying: “The house has a master and the child has a father,” as stated by the Egyptian poet Amal Dunqul.
Abu Ubaida became a symbol in the Arab street, which sees in him the image of the hero who humiliated the occupation and spread terror in the hearts of its settlers. Millions of people gathered around the screens are waiting for him with passion, eagerness and anticipation, waiting for a speech from him that will infuse their morale and enthusiasm, announcing the bombing of Tel Aviv or the occupation settlements.
The video clips in which Abu Ubaida appears are similar, most of them contain a “threatening” background, and sometimes he is accompanied by a number of fighters with their faces also masked. He always begins his statement with “In the Name of God,” and ends it with the sentence “And it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom,” which is the sentence of the martyr Ezz . Al-Din Al-Qassam when the British surrounded him and asked him to surrender in the “Ya’bad” forests near Jenin. He remained steadfast for six hours before he was martyred with his comrades in 1935.
Great mystery surrounds the identity of Abu Ubaida, who always appears masked, alone or surrounded by armed men from the Qassam Brigades. His voice became familiar to Palestinians and Israelis alike after he appeared on screen for the first time in 2006 announcing the news of the Qassam Brigades’ capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and since that time he has been the official and main spokesman for the Brigades.
Palestinian reports say that "Abu Ubaida's face is known only to a few. It has not and will not appear to the media. For years, the occupation army has been trying in various ways to reach him, after they were unable throughout the past period to determine his identity." Abu Ubaida's real name and appearance are not known, and details or personal information about him or his life are non-existent. He appears in his media outlets or the visual statements that he publishes, with his face and head completely covered by the keffiyeh, except for his eyes . Abu Ubaida appears in press conferences inside the Gaza Strip, although they are rare, and he also appears in the video statements that are usually published on the official accounts of the Al-Qassam Brigades and may sometimes be broadcast on the Al-Aqsa satellite channel affiliated with Hamas, and to a lesser extent on Al-Jazeera and other satellite channels. Leadership sources in Hamas confirmed that Abu Ubaida's face is known only to a few, and he has never appeared publicly in any media outlet.
In 2014, shortly after the “Devouring Storm” operation, which Israel called Operation “Protective Edge.” Israeli reports reported that Abu Ubaida was the same person as Hudhayfah Samir Abdullah Al-Kahlot, and a picture of him with his face exposed was published at the behest of the Shin Bet. Hebrew media published a picture that it claimed was of Abu Ubaida and said it was taken from the screen of Al-Aqsa TV, where the masked face of Abu Ubaida appears, and at the bottom is another picture of a person with a beard, and opposite his name is written “Hudhaifa Samir Abdullah Al-Kahlot.” The Al-Kahlot family returns to the displaced town of Na'aliya since 1948 after the Nakba, where they settled in the Jabalia area northeast of Gaza. Their home was bombed twice in the 2008 and 2012 wars on the Gaza Strip.
Hamas denied these Israeli allegations, stressing that the photo was a composite and indicating that its aim was to attempt to obtain any real information about the identity of the Phalange spokesman, who is actually one of the prominent leaders in the armed wing of the Hamas movement.
Abu Ubaida, in addition to being the official spokesman for the Brgades, represents the lifeline of the psychological war waged by Hamas against Israel. His outbursts, despite their small number, have a great influence in the Palestinian and Israeli circles and usually receive significant media coverage. The masked man’s fame increased in June of 2020 when Israel decided to annex the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, so he appeared in a recorded video coinciding with the anniversary of Operation Shattered Illusion to confirm that “the resistance will make the enemy bite his fingers of regret over this sinful decision, God willing,” describing the Israeli plans as “a declaration of war.”
During the Battle of Saif al-Quds in May 2021, mentioning Abu Ubaida’s name in the media became an indication of the occurrence of a major event, especially in terms of achieving a military achievement for the resistance. Abu Ubaida, the official spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, was considered the undisputed star of the confrontation, whether through his precise military statements or his short and eloquent television appearances, until it became The international and Israeli media, before the local ones, latch on to what he says, given the trust he has gained.
Abu Ubaida gave Al Jazeera Net priority in conducting an exclusive dialogue to answer a number of questions on the minds of many readers and different circles. He stated " perhaps the most important of which is the focus on credibility to a very large extent when we announce military missions and guerrilla operations in terms of time and place, the extent of the direct impact, and the injuries that occurred among the ranks of the occupation forces, as well as credibility when there are losses and martyrs among them. Resistance, then clarification is done with all honesty and responsibility.
"We have no doubt that the occupation army’s operations room at its military command is closely following, and even translating, the media speech issued by us in the name of the Qassam Brigades, immediately and immediately, which has had a clear impact on the occupation leadership and its decisions, and this is considered an advanced and important stage of Stages of psychological and field influence by the military media. In addition, it has become clear to us that the occupation public follows what we publish, and even considers it the true source of information during the war, and does not trust the Israeli media, and this is a strength of our honest war media compared to the enemy media, which is a master of lying....
"It is our custom, in the office of the military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, to prepare every position and statement in a way that suits the military reality and the combat field on the ground. Every statement, sentence, and word is subject to the assessment of an operational, field, political, and media position from the various agencies and departments of the military wing, and this mechanism has now been followed. It is an essential part of our work, and it is ultimately what gives our work as a military spokesman for Al-Qassam credibility and transparency with all parties."
A number of those interested in Palestinian/Israeli affairs believe that Abu Ubaida’s speeches and statements are relevant. He is considered one of the first wanted persons whose names were included in the Israeli assassination lists.
Once an Al Jazeera journalist asked him about the number of those who participated in the operations. Abu Ubaida paused for a moment and then said, “Let me not count the number.” When the journalist asked again whether they were dozens or hundreds, Abu Ubaida replied that they were “dozens,” preferring accuracy to exaggeration in inflating the number. Participants. This quickly became the key to Abu Ubaida’s communication with the Arab masses. His keenness to respect the Arab public and provide accurate and concise information as much as possible had a great impact in building credibility between him and the Arab street.
Dr. Enas Mahrous Pops, university professor at the Faculty of Arts/University of Damascus and currently at universities in Turkey, observed 08 December 2023 "Wearing his red popular mask, green headband, and military uniform, he appears as the crowds, young and old, look forward to seeing him. His face was absent and his voice was present. People did not know his features, but they sang when they heard him speak. The masked Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman for the resistance in Gaza, today became a symbol of the youth in his presence, positions, and speech.
"I do not think that anyone ever thought that in this era we would listen to political or war speeches in the manner in which Muslims were addressed at the beginning of Islam, the Umayyad era, and the eras that followed them?
"It is a great feeling to see yourself, your family, and all the loyal people who yearn for freedom and peace among your people and your clan. Motivated to listen to the speech of one man, to catch the true news, the certain news, and the bird of happiness on a tablet of Arabic words and a clear tongue.
"Especially after what we saw of the strange and suspicious duality in the way Arab politicians and rulers deal with the Arabic language, with speeches declaring the importance of the Arabic language and the necessity of learning, teaching and mastering it, and a tongue unable to complete a sentence in a speech in front of the masses or peers.....
"[Abu Ubaida’s speeches] see the Arabic language dancing happily with the crowds glued to the screens. Here we are today, watching Abu Ubaida’s speeches, old and young, so we hear, listen, understand, realize, are happy, proud, and exalted. ...
"When he addresses us, the masked person intends to apply the Sunnahs of the ancients in speech, and he pays attention to the principles of the art of public speaking, so he does not neglect what it contains in terms of preparing for the presence of thoughts and attracting the recipients. He begins by saying the basmalah, praising God, thanking Him, and praising Him, then moving on to prayers and peace upon the Noble Messenger and upon all Muslims, using verses from the dhikr. Al-Hakim in the context of jihad, as a reminder of the reward of the mujahideen, the stationed, and the patient people who persevere in the path of God, before entering into the heart of the topic and presenting the ideas that the speech carries....
"After his attractive introduction, Abu Ubaida moves to the speech of the patient, brave, and brave sons of Palestine, the sons of the entire Islamic nation, and every free and honorable human being on the face of the globe, the comprehensive speech of the absorbed person by using (ya) as a tool to appeal to the near and far, and describing it to all those concerned with the speech....
"We notice in Abu Ubaidah’s speeches that he is keen to diversify between the declarative style and the construction style. The presence of construction styles in their various forms, from appeals to questions, exclamations, etc., in speech and speech has a significant impact in attracting the attention of the recipients, mobilizing their emotions, and confirming their interaction with the information that is thrown at them.....
"But the matter became different with Abu Ubaidah, whose speech became the preoccupation of those near and far, and the prospective enemy and friend, as eloquent Arabic flowed on his tongue with fluency, without affectation, and smoothness that was not flawless in its delivery. Old and young, educated, and common people heard him and realized the goals and consequences of the conversation, and felt the sincerity of the logic. Statement and such are sufficient to make Arabic more beloved and closer. Indeed, if the leaders possess fluency of tongue and eloquence, it is true that they will defeat the allegations that have been made overnight about the dryness of classical Arabic, its harshness, and its distance from the soul....
"When you listen to a speaker you are familiar with and love, it is as if you are watching and contemplating a work of art that you like. This leads to a feeling of sympathy and admiration for the conversation and its speaker before deeply understanding its meaning. It also includes critical listening, and this type is practiced by political analysts from allies and enemies, and some audiences from the general public who are interested in what is behind the words and the outcome of matters."
There are not even old photos of the man at the beginning of his life. When Abu Ubaida first appeared and his popularity began to expand, Israel ignored him, but over the years he became one of the most important topics covered by Israeli television programs, and all his speeches began to be translated quickly in the Israeli occupation media, with increasing interest in his rising personality as he is one of the most wanted persons on the lists. The assassinations are due to the media and psychological war that he is leading. Tel Aviv began to weave its own narrative about him and claimed that it knew his name and picture, just as it said more than once in the years 2008, 2012, and 2014 that it had bombed his house.
On March 6, 2008 Ala’ Hisham Abu Dheim, a 26-year-old Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades operative, entered the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Eight boys, mostly high school students, were killed. An anonymous Hamas official immediately contacted Reuters, acknowledging that Hamas was responsible. Following that announcement, Abu Ubeida, the spokesman of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, suspended the organization’s claim of responsibility, but neither affirmed nor denied responsibility. He stated, instead, that “[t]he time has not yet come for claiming responsibility.” The official claim for responsibility by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades came two years after the attack, in a December 25, 2010 press conference with Abu Ubeida. The delay is consistent with Hamas’s policy of delaying a claim of responsibility out of consideration for the security of other Hamas operatives and accomplices.
The Israeli accounts mention that Abu Ubaida comes from the village of “N’Aliya,” which Israel occupied in 1948, and that his family was displaced after the Nakba to the Jabalia region, northeast of Gaza. The Israeli press said in 2014 that the man, in addition to his leadership work in Al-Qassam, is continuing his academic studies at the University of Gaza, where he is writing his doctoral thesis after defending his master’s thesis at the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion at the Islamic University under the title “The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity and Islam”. All of these details have not been proven true or accurate by any reliable Palestinian party, and may be part of the Israeli media’s attempt to weave narratives that they know his identity without proof of that.
The overwhelming popularity that Abu Ubaida achieved in 2023 cannot be explained by his communication skills alone. Where the “Al-Aqsa Flood” army mobilized the feelings of the Arab street until they overflowed and wanted an outlet for them, and so the masses waited for a “messenger” who would convey their longings to the resistors and convey to them their news and victories on the ground. When they found Abu Ubaida conveying news to the resistors of the occupiers, they considered him a symbol of resistance without knowing his person directly, and they considered his love and honor to be love and honor for the resistors.
Abu Ubaida was able to play an active role at the media level that goes beyond simply conveying Al-Qassam’s messages. If bad news about the crimes of the occupation in Gaza continues, many on social media describe Abu Ubaida as a “nervous tranquilizer,” as he is able to absorb anxiety and instill hope in people without claiming fake or fabricated news. Despite the difficult situation under the fire of occupation, Abu Ubaida always takes into account how to deal psychologically with his words with Arab listeners, mixing emotional charge with sober language. Perhaps this is one of the important keys to understanding the exceptional relationship that was formed between the masked person and the street. It is respect consisting of two parts, the first of which is concern for feelings, and the second of which is honesty.
One of the most prominent words of Abu Ubaida is “No red lines” in reference to the response to the crimes of the occupation, when Abu Ubaida warned Israel against continuing its aggression against the Gaza Strip, stressing that there are no “red lines” when it comes to responding to the aggression, and he was also distinguished by making sincere promises.
Abu Ubaida used the word “God forbid,” which became the talk of the new media in the context of mocking Arab regimes, where he said: “We are not asking you to take action to defend the children of Arabism and Islam in Gaza by moving your armies and tanks, God forbid.” It was circulated by pioneers. Social networking sites are widespread, topping the rankings of the most popular on the “X” platform in more than one Arab country.
He usually concludes his speech with the phrase Al-Qassam Brigades, taken from the martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam before his martyrdom in the Battle of the Ya’bad Jungles in 1935, which ends with the famous phrase, “And it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom”.
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