Hamas has confirmed the death of Abu Obeida, the prominent spokesperson of its armed wing, and unveiled his successor.
Obeida, real name Hudayfa Samir Abdallah al-Kahlout, gained notoriety as the public face of the al-Qassam Brigades.
Unlike most of the group's senior leadership, he was able to largely retain his anonymity, always appearing with his face covered by a keffiyah.
He first emerged in 2002, occasionally interacting with international media on behalf of Hamas, before being appointed al-Qassam’s official spokesman in 2005.
In 2014, a photo allegedly revealing his identity was circulated in Israeli media, but the group has repeatedly denied that the man pictured was Obeida.
The IDF announced that Obeida had been killed in an airstrike in September, but Hamas has refused to clarify his status until now.
In confirming his death, the group introduced a new spokesman under the same nom de guerre, memorialising al-Kahlout as "Abu Ibrahim".
"We mourn the great leader Huthaifa Samir al-Kahlout, Abu Ibrahim, the head of al-Qassam’s media apparatus, who passed away after two decades of frustrating the enemies and uplifting the hearts of the believers," the new Obeida said, confirming his predecessor's identity for the first time.
He also confirmed the death of former al-Qassam chief Mohammed Sinwar, who was killed by a separate Israeli strike in May.
Sinwar has since been replaced by Izz al-Din al-Haddad as leader of the Brigades.
The announcement comes as the group’s political wing is due to elect a new solo leader within the coming weeks.
The terror group has effectively been led by a committee of its political bureau since last year.
The five-person panel was established in August 2024 when Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike, but was briefly subjugated by Yahya Sinwar before he too was killed by the IDF two months later.
But Saudi news outlet Asharq has now reported that the group is looking to elect a new, single leader, as has been its practice historically.
Reportedly leading the pack is Khalil al-Hayya, a former deputy of Sinwar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and one of the better-known members of the ruling committee.
Al-Hayya is known as a pro-Iran candidate, pushing for Hamas to deepen its ties with the Islamic Republic, which has funded and supplied the group for decades.
On the other hand, his main rival, Khaled Mashaal, is believed to favour a pivot away from Tehran and towards better relations with the Gulf states, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are perceived as more moderate in their relations with Israel.
Their key policy conflict is reported to be over the extent of the IDF's withdrawal from Gaza.
Al-Hayya is said to favour "armed conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip until the war ends and the Israeli army withdraws from the Strip entirely", while Mashall reportedly backs "negotiated compromises to end the occupation of Gaza".
Regardless of the result, al-Haddad remains leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, with reports of strained relations between the armed and political wings over the extent of compromises with Israel in ceasefire negotiations.
Al-Haddad, nicknamed the Ghost of al-Qassam, is believed to take a more hardline position on Israeli withdrawal and align more closely with al-Hayya's vision.
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