Hamas has formally confirmed the deaths of several senior figures in its armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, consolidating claims made by Israel months earlier. In a statement issued on 29 Dec 2025, the group said its military spokesman Abu Obeida and then–Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar were killed earlier this year during the fighting. The acknowledgment narrows gaps between Israeli military assertions and Hamas’s own disclosures, particularly on senior command losses over the past two years.

The group also confirmed the deaths of Mohammed Shabanah, identified as head of the Rafah Brigade, along with Hakam al-Issi and Raed Saad. No dates, locations, or operational details were provided. The announcement was attributed to the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, and did not specify whether the five were killed in separate incidents or in the same period.

The Israeli military said in May that it had killed Mohammed Sinwar, the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Three months later, it stated that Abu Obeida had also been killed. Hamas’s statement aligns with that sequence, adding that Abu Obeida’s real name was Huthaifa al-Kahlout, a detail not previously confirmed by the group.

Abu Obeida’s last known public statement dates to early September, when Israel began initial stages of a renewed assault on Gaza City. At that time, the area was declared a combat zone, and hundreds of residential buildings were destroyed, prompting large-scale civilian displacement. After that statement, the spokesman ceased public communications.

Abu Obeida’s Life

As spokesman, Abu Obeida had served as Hamas’s primary military voice in Gaza. He issued battlefield updates, commented on ceasefire violations, and addressed negotiations involving Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners during a short-lived ceasefire earlier in the year. Those communications ended when hostilities resumed.