TEHRAN – The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has confirmed that its armed wing spokesperson, Abu Obaida, and then Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar were martyred in Israel’s genocidal war earlier this year. The announcement came in a prerecorded address by the newly appointed spokesman of the Izz al Din al Qassam Brigades, who vowed that the blood of the martyrs would only strengthen the resolve of the resistance.

Abu Obaida, whose real name was Huthaifa Samir al Kahlout, served as the masked voice of the Brigades for nearly two decades. His speeches, delivered behind a red keffiyeh, became iconic across the Arab world, projecting defiance, resilience, and the unbroken will of the Palestinian people. From his first public appearance in 2004 during an Israeli ground assault in northern Gaza, he became the sole military spokesman of the Brigades, embodying the steadfastness of the resistance.

His prominence grew after Hamas’ surprise military operation in southern Israel on October 7, 2023—dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm— and the subsequent war in Gaza, when his words galvanized Palestinian morale and drew attention to the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel’s bombardments. 

He was the first to announce the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, and later Shaul Aron in 2014, victories that symbolized the ability of the resistance to challenge Israel militarily. In 2024, he condemned Arab governments for failing to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, declaring “God forbid Palestinians ask Arab rulers to intervene militarily, but their failure to even provide relief supplies shocked Hamas.” That phrase quickly became a slogan across the Arab world, symbolizing frustration with regional passivity.

The confirmation of Mohammed Sinwar’s martyrdom further highlights the heavy toll of Israel’s campaign of assassinations. Yet Hamas emphasized that these killings have not weakened its organizational strength. On the contrary, they have elevated fallen leaders into eternal symbols of resistance, deepened the resolve of Palestinians, and reinforced the legitimacy of the struggle for liberation.

Israel has long pursued a policy of assassinating Palestinian leaders, from Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al Rantisi in 2004 to Saleh al Arouri in Beirut and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in 2024. But Palestinian analysts stress that this policy has consistently failed. Each assassination fuels anger at the occupation and siege, ensures new leaders emerge, and strengthens the collective identity of resistance.

The swift appointment of a new spokesman after Abu Obaida’s martyrdom demonstrates Hamas’s resilience. Despite Israel’s campaign of assassinations, the movement continues to adapt, inspire, and mobilize. Abu Obaida’s masked voice may no longer echo on screens, but his legacy endures. His successors carry forward the message that resistance cannot be assassinated, and Palestine will never bow to occupation.