Hamas on Monday, December 29, officially confirmed the death of its longtime and prominent military spokesman Abu Obeida, months after Israel claimed he was killed in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip. This marks the first public acknowledgment by the Palestinian militant group of the death of one of its most recognisable figures since the war began.

Israel had announced on August 31 that its forces had killed Hudhayfa al-Kahlout, popularly known as Abu Obeida, in an airstrike based on intelligence about his location. Hamas did not specify the exact circumstances or timing of his death but confirmed that he was killed following an Israeli strike. The confirmation comes amid renewed diplomatic activity, as US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Florida to push momentum for a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.

Abu Obeida had served as the masked voice of Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. Known for delivering defiant televised statements during major escalations with Israel, he became one of the most recognisable faces — albeit always masked — of the group’s propaganda and media apparatus. Israeli officials described him as a key figure responsible for shaping Hamas’ messaging and psychological warfare.

Following the confirmation of his death, Hamas released a video on its Telegram channel introducing a new masked spokesman who claimed to have inherited the name Abu Obeida. The new spokesman reiterated Hamas’ refusal to disarm, stating that weapons would not be laid down as long as Israeli occupation continues. The Israel-Hamas war began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw about 250 hostages abducted. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, with hundreds more dying even after the ceasefire came into effect.