Who Was Abu Obeida, the Man Who Sowed Fear in the Hearts of Colonizers
Al-mulatham, as he has become known among Arabic speakers, a romanized Arabic word meaning “the masked one”, al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida has become a legendary figure among pro-Palestinians and a source of horror for the Israelis throughout not just this war on Gaza, but any and every operation carried out by the Palestinian Resistance against the Zionist occupation.
“Permission [to fight back] is [hereby] granted to those being fought, for they have been wronged. And indeed, Allah is Most Capable of helping them [prevail],” Al-Hajj 22:39. Those are the first words Abu Obeida uttered publicly during a humble press statement from the Jabalia refugee camp in late September 2004. Though his mask was different, donning a balaclava at the time, Abu Obeida’s voice would resonate with the supporters and opponents of the Palestinian cause alike.
Reports claim that he was 18 at the time of said address, where he was allegedly told to simply read aloud and leave the conference, according to Metras. Though it was merely a few minutes long, the address would change his name forever, making him synonymous with triumph for Palestine and devastation for the Zionist regime.
Israeli faltering in Gaza: A tale as old as time
The statement at the time was highlighting Israeli failures in military operations in northern Gaza, and specifically the refugee camp in the city of Jabalia, in the midst of the battles leading up to the liberation of the Gaza Strip from Israeli occupation. “[The unfolding battles] are the epitome of Israeli military failure, for the enemy possesses a deadly military force, comprising fighter jets, tanks, and missiles, which it is using to bomb civilians and target women and children. Meanwhile, the valiant Resistance, which has none of the aforementioned, is targeting soldiers and occupiers,” Abu Obeida said, noting that the al-Qassam Brigades had killed at least seven Zionist soldiers within three days of battles.
Just like that, Abu Obeida quickly rose to legendary status, admired by supporters of the Resistance against the Israeli occupation across religions, sects, and nationalities. It was not until 2007, however, that he was officially named the spokesperson of the al-Qassam Brigades, a role he assumed one year after announcing the landmark operation in which the Resistance captured Zionist soldier Gilad Shalit, who remained in captivity for more than five years.
The addresses mirror those Abu Obeida would make later on in his career, breaking the news of Zionist losses and failures in Gaza through his fiery addresses that touched the heart of every listener, regardless of the language barrier.
The morale of the Resistance
With each round of confrontations, with each war waged on Gaza, Abu Obeida rose more and more in prominence, with people from all walks of life waiting for his threatening yet reassuring eyes, veiled with a red koufiyyeh, to deliver news desired by the public, dreaded by the Israelis.
Throughout the years, Abu Obeida gained a wider and wider regional as well as international attention, especially during 2008’s Battle of al-Furqan, which saw the Zionist occupation launching an onslaught on Gaza a mere three years after its liberation. While communication lines were massively disrupted, Abu Obeida still appeared as a consistent figure, offering the public updates, making threats against the Israeli occupation, and announcing Israeli losses while reassuring supporters that the Resistance forces remained intact.
He offered morale not only to spectators outside of Gaza, but also to the people of Gaza themselves, appearing as a beacon of optimism in the midst of heavy bombardment that indiscriminately claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians. Defiantly, during the war, Abu Obeida once declared, “Gilad Shalit misses you” in reference to the Israelis as he underlined that the Israeli regime was concealing casualties and losses caused by Resistance operations targeting the occupied Palestinian territories.
Later on, between 2010 and 2014, Abu Obeida received more screen time, and with each public appearance, his popularity grew exponentially. He was a champion of rejecting ‘peace’ talks with the Zionist occupation, framing them as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause and warning against the Israeli plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, which, in turn, gave al-Qassam more impetus as the guarantors of Palestine and its ultimate liberation.
In 2014, during the Battle of the Withered Grain, Abu Obeida once more made an announcement as momentous as his announcement years earlier, declaring that al-Qassam had captured yet another Zionist soldier, this time from al-Shujaiyya, a stronghold of Palestinian resilience. Oron Shaul had been captured by Hamas on July 21. Days later, on August 1, al-Qassam captured Hadar Goldin near Rafah. Shaul would not return until 2025, when the Israeli occupation forces retrieved his remains during their latest invasion of Gaza.
He was also just as important in 2020, laying the groundwork for 2021’s Battle of Seif al-Quds by stressing that Israeli plans to further occupy the West Bank served as a “declaration of war”. In May of 2021, during said battle, he was the one to break the news that bloomed glee in the hearts of the supporters of the Palestinian cause, announcing that the Resistance’s rockets were hitting all major occupied Palestinian cities, stressing that such operations had become “easier than drinking water” for Hamas. He also later proclaimed that the battle saw the Resistance achieve a victory in the face of the Zionist occupation, painting the latter as a “fragile enemy”.
The man who unleashed the flood
Because he is a military spokesperson, it is not likely that he played a role in carrying out October 7’s Operation al-Aqsa Flood. However, Abu Obeida valiantly defended the people of Gaza, declaring that any attacks targeting civilians would be met with a proportionate response against the Zionist occupation, offering one ultimatum after another in a bid to lighten the blows being dealt to Palestinian civilians amid the unfolding genocide.
Week after week, month after month, Abu Obeida, visibly losing weight due to the ongoing famine in Gaza, remained a guarantor of morale for the Palestinian and Arab people alike, with even children awaiting his televised appearances and donning military fatigues similar to his and raising their index finger just like him, impersonating him in praise as he became an idol to many.
Due to his anonymity, safeguarded by the symbolic koufiyyeh for over two decades, Abu Obeida transcended his mere person, becoming a movement of his own and driving the message of a collective struggle, essentially becoming a cultural-political symbol embodying liberation.
Throughout the years, Abu Obeida maintained the same tone and cadence when speaking, allowing him to become a trademark of defiance in his own right, as he employed a stern language plentiful in literary and Quranic vocabulary, laced with a martial language that caused fear to reverberate through the hearts of the enemies of liberation.
Abu Obeida, just like liberation, became inevitable, and the hope he gave to tens of millions around the world is unmatched, becoming as synonymous with the Palestinian struggle as the koufityeh, the renowned upside-down red arrow, and the AK-47. He was incredibly skilled and was proficient at framing the deafening blows dealt to the Zionist regime.
The man who changed the media
Abu Obeida earned the title “the media commander”, and rightfully so, as he professionally conveyed the proper narrative to ensure that the Resistance’s victory could be seen before all, no matter the outcome.
The masked, shadowy figure, despite his identity remaining concealed, has become one of the most easily recognizable people on the planet due to his addresses that uplifted a people watching their brethren get genocided, as he served as a weapon in the face of the Zionist occupation, more dangerous than any arms in Hamas’ arsenal.
The man who finished all of his remarkable statements with, “It is a struggle [ending in] triumph or martyrdom,” attained the highest honor Man possibly could, achieving the martyrdom he had long desired and worked his entire life toward as he tirelessly ensured that the Resistance’s message and actions made their rounds around the globe and sparking an unmatched pro-Palestinian effort all over the world through his nimble, well-crafted statements that ensured that no matter what the occupation did, it was framed as a defeat for the occupier.
While his birthdate is yet to be discovered, the resilient fighter’s date of martyrdom will be etched in history as August 30, 2025, after he spent his entire adult life making sacrifices for the sake of the Resistance and the cause that shaped his entire identity and that of his homeland.
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