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Hamas Confirmed on Monday that its long-time spokesman was killed following an incident Israel War-torn August strikes Gaza,first Palestine The activist group publicly acknowledged the death of one of its prominent figures.
A few months ago, Israel said that on August 31, Israeli forces killed the armed group’s spokesman Hudafa Karout (nicknamed “Abu Obeida”) in an airstrike in Gaza. Hamas did not disclose how or when he was killed.
The news comes as US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu The two sides will meet in Florida on Monday as Washington seeks new impetus for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza that could be in danger of stalling ahead of a complex second phase.
Abu Obeida has been one of the Hamas militant group’s most high-profile figures since it seized control of Gaza from rival Palestinian group Fatah in 2007. He often makes statements while wearing a mask, especially during major escalations, setting the tone for Hamas’ threatening messages and posture toward Israel.
His popularity has made him a familiar figure to Palestinians and the region as a whole for nearly two decades. The Israeli military said he was a key figure in Hamas’s media and propaganda apparatus and said the attack that killed him was based on Israeli intelligence about his whereabouts.
Hamas posted a new video on its Telegram messaging channel on Monday in which the group’s new spokesman said he was the new Abu Obeida and had inherited the nickname. The man, like his predecessor, wore a mask and did not reveal his real name.
But he said Hamas was refusing to disarm, violating a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that had been in place since October.
“Our people are defending themselves and we will not give up our weapons as long as the occupation remains,” the spokesman said.
The Israel-Hamas war began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which militants killed an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages.
Gaza’s health ministry said 414 people have been killed and 1,142 injured in the coastal enclave since the ceasefire began on October 10. The total number of Palestinian war-related deaths is at least 71,266.
The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its statistics, has medical professionals on staff and keeps detailed records that are generally considered reliable by the international community.