Israel claimed in recent days that it has identified the man behind Abu Obaida, the Hamas spokesman who appears in public announcements with his face shrouded, touting horrific acts of violence and updates on Hamas’ position in the war.
Abu Obaida usually appears with a traditional scarf, or keffiyeh, and in military garb, face covered and anonymous.
The IDF claimed in its announcement that he can no longer stay hidden.
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“This is the so-called Hudhayfah Kahlout, who hides behind the nickname Abu Ubaida, and he also hides behind his red keffiyeh. Just as Hamas hides behind civilian facilities to launch rockets toward Israel,” Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), said.
“He and other Hamas leaders like to hide inside tunnels and behind women and children, as well as behind masks and shadows,” Adraee added. “Hudhayfah Kahlout, you have become exposed. It is time to stop covering up. The mask and keffiyeh will not help you and your organization to hide the blows you are suffering and the fate of those who remain of you.”
The announcement comes as the Israeli government has made its intentions clear to kill Hamas leadership on foreign soil beyond Gaza, opening up the possibility that Israel plans to conduct targeted killings abroad to snuff out Hamas for months or years to come.
It appears to be Israel’s latest attempt to work up a new psychological operation against Hamas, aiming to shake the terrorist group as the war rages on.
Doug London, a former CIA Chief of Station who served across the Middle East, told The Daily Beast that the IDF is likely opting to name and shame the man alleged to be behind the mask as a way to mess with Hamas. If Israel is able to capture or kill him, they can claim a win against one of the most public members of Hamas, snuffing out the group’s narrator.
“It serves their PR machine, and their psy-ops people will probably have him high on their list,” London told The Daily Beast. “It will give them a PR victory and provide sone psychological impact on their enemy should they succeed in killing him or capturing him.”
Part of the effort to unmask Abu Obaida is likely aimed at sending a message to Hamas, that Israel can find Hamas’ fighters and leadership wherever they are, said Michael Mulroy, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East.
“I believe the Israelis do want to show Hamas that they can track down anyone, even someone that takes great effort to hide their identify,” Mulroy told The Daily Beast. “He has also publicly stated that Israeli hostages would be executed if Israel continues airstrikes. If that happens, he will likely be held directly responsible.”
The op is also likely aimed at bolstering domestic support for the fight against Hamas, said John Franchi, a former CIA chief of station who served in the Middle East.
“They need to show to their people that they’re making progress,” Franchi told The Daily Beast.
Israel also probably has hopes of sullying Hamas’ reputation.
“They want to show that Hamas isn’t this bigger than life organization, just because they’re hiding behind some name doesn’t mean we can’t figure out who you are and where you’re at, and that you’ve got to be responsible for your actions,” Franchi said.
The Art of Deception
But it’s possible that through the years, Hamas hasn’t relied on just one person to act as Abu Obaida. The terrorist organization may have created redundancy in its operations, using Abu Obaida as a “brand” to amplify its messages, rather than actually relying on just one person, London said, while adding that his opinion is just speculation.
“He is probably not one person. He might have started out as one person. But he represents a brand,” London said. “It’s likely there’s a team creating the productions, which would make it easier to sustain regardless where the original Abu Obaida might be, or should he be killed, even after an Israeli claim, should they succeed.”
Even if the IDF is able eventually to capture or kill Abu Obaida—or who they claim he is—Hamas may be able flip the script on Israel, especially if the Abu Obaida figure turns out to be a rotation of multiple Hamas militants.
“Hamas can say, ‘Well that wasn’t him,’ because they really do have a bench,” London said.
Abu Obaida was rumored to have been injured in a recent Israeli attack near Khan Younis in Gaza. He hadn’t been heard from until Wednesday, when he released a statement indicating he was still alive.
“The temporary truce proved our credibility,” he said, referring to the exchange of hostages and prisoners during the temporary ceasefires established late November.
The truce ended with both Israel and Hamas claiming the other side broke the ceasefire.
