Abu Abaydah al-Qassam and His Peers: A Look at Palestinian Armed Groups’ Military Spokesmen

Abu Abaydah al-Qassam and His Peers: A Look at Palestinian Armed Groups’ Military Spokesmen

On October 7, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched the “Al-Aqsa Flood” military operation. They did this in coordination with other Palestinian armed factions based in the Gaza Strip, which together belong to the “Palestinian Joint Operations Room (JOR).” [1] It was a surprise attack against Israeli military positions and bases and kibbutzim. The attacks were simultaneous and coordinated, using different types of operations: thousands of rockets, air raids with ultralight aircraft, and maritime and direct assaults.

In response, the Israeli army launched a land attack on the Gaza Strip. Following the October 7 attacks and the Israeli response, the dissemination of propaganda [2] and audio or video messages by the military spokesmen of the various Palestinian armed groups also commenced. The most operational brigades, whose spokesmen’s messages have been published, include the following:

1. The Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades (military wing of Hamas);
2. The al-Quds Brigades (military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad);
3. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (military wing of al-Fatah); [3]
4. The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (military wing of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP);
5. The Omar al-Qassim Martyr National Resistance Brigades (military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or DFLP);
6. The Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades (military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees);
7. The Mujaheddin Brigades (military wing of the Palestinian Mujaheddin Movement);
8. The al-Ansar/al-Nasser Brigades (military wing of the al-Ahrar Movement); and
9. The Lions’ Den Brigades.

The profiles of these spokesmen are often shadowy, and the information about them is obscure and difficult to track down. However, their profiles are increasingly important in the Palestinian militant context and their fame and support are growing with the ongoing conflict.

Abu Ubaydah al-Qassam (the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades’ Military Spokesman)

There is more information and propaganda around the spokesman of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaydah, than the other groups’ (X/@g88daniele, November 26). His audio and video speeches are widespread on social networks and messaging apps and receive thousands of views and shares. His face is never seen, however, because he always wears a red Palestinian keffiyeh (a traditional Arab headdress). The war name “Abu Ubaidah” is also derived from the “Conqueror of Jerusalem,” Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, who lived during the reign of Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab in the 7th century (TRT Arabi, October 13).

Some sources claim that Abu Ubaidah was born in the village of Na’aliya, which was occupied by Israel in 1948. He then lived in Jabalia in northeast Gaza until 2014 (TRT Arabi, October 13; Aawsat, November 2; Al Jazeera, November 2). Abu Ubaidah began appearing in the media in 2002 as one of the most senior activists and military officers of the Izz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades (Aawsat, November 2). After the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Abu Ubaidah was officially appointed the spokesman of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He first appeared on the screen on June 25, 2006 to announce the news of the successful conclusion of the “Shattered Illusion” operation east of the city of Rafah, in which Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured (Al Jazeera, November 2).

According to Israeli and Arab reports, Abu Ubaidah received a master’s degree in 2013 from the Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion at the Islamic University of Gaza with the thesis, “The Holy Land between Judaism, Christianity and Islam” (Elaph, July 25, 2014; Aawsat, November 2). He has appeared frequently over the years to narrate the military developments of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, with speeches that contain many messages of condemnation toward the “Israeli occupation.” His fame increased considerably from June 2020 on for his very strong anti-Israel videos. The first was in June 2020, when Israel decided to annex the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, which Abu Ubaidah stated that was a decision from the Israeli government akin to “a declaration of war” (Al-Watan News, May 21, 2021). Since October 7, he has appeared every day—except on truce days—to highlight the military achievements of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The video clips in which Abu Ubaidah appears are always quite similar and end with the phrase, “And it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom,” a phrase of the martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam. [4]

Other Military Spokesmen

While Abu Ubaidah is the best-known and most important among the military spokesmen of the Palestinian brigades, others exist, though there is comparatively little information known about them. Nevertheless, they remain very active, and their speeches and statements are widespread.

The second most important spokesman is Abu Hamzah (X/@g88daniele, November 26). He is the military spokesman of the al-Quds Brigades. Almost nothing is known about him, except that he was already a military spokesman in 2007 and was in no previous videos. It is also known that he is active in Gaza, not only as a spokesman but also in giving sermons in Gazan mosques (Khaberni Media, October 31). Finally, he is among the Palestinian fighters on the “wanted lists” of the Israeli intelligence services (Shabbek, November 11).

Abu Muhammad, on the other hand, is the military spokesman of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (X/@g88daniele, November, 26). All that is known about him is that before 2012 he was the spokesman of the Imad al-Amoudy Martyrs Battalion, which is affiliated to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades operating in the West Bank. He became the main spokesman in May 2012, when he announced the unification under one umbrella of all al-Aqsa battalions operating in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (IMEMC, May 25, 2012).

Even Abu Bilal, the military spokesman of the Mujaheddin Brigades, is poorly known (X/@g88daniele, November 26). Once he became spokesman around 2011, he chose to live in secrecy and his statements have been only transcribed. In 2022, he stated that the Mujaheddin Brigades’ only strategy and military objective is “to liberate all of Palestine and purify it of the abomination of the Zionists” (Quds Press, November 3, 2022).

Abu Khaled is the nom de guerre of the spokesman and military commander of the Martyr Omar al-Qassim National Resistance Brigades (X/@g88daniele, November 26). Nothing is known about his identity or personal life. The few pieces of information are provided by the brigade’s Telegram channel, which identifies him as a spokesman and commander. He has occupied this role since around 2012. In 2022, he resigned from his position due to the controversy over the DFLP’s participation in the Palestinian Central Council, which has been cooperating with Israel since 2018. This cooperation comes in the form of security coordination in certain areas of the West Bank (al-Araby, February 5, 2022; Arabi48, February 5, 2022). His resignation, however, was withdrawn after only a few days.

Very little is known about the last three military spokesmen (X/@g88daniele, November, 26). These include:

• Abu Jamal, the military commander and spokesperson of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades since 2014;
• Abu Attayya, the spokesman of the al-Nasser Salahaddin Brigades since 2018, who is seen in several videos, photos, and audio recordings on the brigade’s channel and website; and
• Mahdi al-Nablusi, who is the spokesman of the Lions’ Den Brigades.

There are also other 20-25 year olds from the West Bank battalions of other Palestinian armed groups, such as the political movements of al-Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PFLP, but their identities are also poorly known (Al Jazeera, October 26, 2022).

Conclusion

Palestinian armed groups, and the population that supports them, place great importance on military spokesmen, whose roles have increased considerably since the beginning of the al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7. The videos, audio recordings, and statements of the military spokesmen, who are sometimes particularly vivid and charismatic, may be seen daily. Moreover, these are the main artery of the psychological and media war waged by the Palestinian Joint Operations Room (JOR). The activities of the aforementioned military spokesmen are heavily disseminated on messaging apps, social networks, and television stations in the Arab and Muslim world. They ultimately serve to garner even stronger support for the Palestinian cause.

Notes:

[1] The Joint Operations Room (JOR) was established in 2018 and is composed of 12 Palestinian armed groups under the leadership of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. One military faction, the Lions’ Den Brigades, which emerged in 2022 in the West Bank, is currently not integrated within the JOR, but the Lions’ Den Brigades are in close contact and collaborate with the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and al-Quds Brigades. The JOR has military-operational characteristics that have brought a sense of clear unity and convergence to Palestinian resistance groups.

[2] For the October 7-31 propaganda of the Palestinian brigades, see (Daniele Garofalo Monitoring, November 5).

[3] From a military and operational point of view, the group has showed a strong level of independence from its political component, so much so to hint at a possible split from al-Fatah. Nevertheless, within its Telegram channels and statements, it continues to present itself as the armed wing of al-Fatah.

[4] From monitoring of propaganda and videos by the author.