Abu Ubaida, the military spokesperson of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), delivered his first recorded statement since March, addressing the resistance’s current strategy, its stance on negotiations, and the threat of internal collaborators. In his speech, Abu Ubaida expressed clear criticism of the Muslim world and its ruling regimes, while affirming the resistance’s full readiness for a prolonged war of attrition.
He began by noting that four months have passed since the occupation resumed its aggression — a return that followed what he described as Israel’s betrayal of agreements previously reached with the resistance. In that period, he said, the resistance inflicted “hundreds of deaths and injuries among Israeli soldiers” and left “thousands suffering psychological trauma and shock.”
Abu Ubaida stated that Al-Qassam fighters have “surprised the enemy with new tactics and combat methods,” after learning critical lessons from what he described as the longest battle in Palestinian history. He revealed that the resistance has made repeated attempts in recent weeks to capture Israeli soldiers.
A Strategy Built on Attrition and Capture
The Qassam leadership, Abu Ubaida said, is now operating under a strategy that focuses on inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy, executing specialised operations, and pursuing opportunities to capture more soldiers. He emphasised:
“The Gaza resistance is the greatest military school in modern history — a model of popular resistance against occupying forces.”
He warned that the Israeli government’s continued pursuit of its war of extermination will only lead to “more funerals for soldiers and officers.”
Abu Ubaida accused the enemy of receiving “unlimited support from the world’s most oppressive powers,” while “the regimes and forces of our Ummah stand by as their own brethren are slaughtered, starved, and denied access to water and medicine.”
“The Blood of the Children Is on Your Hands”
Abu Ubaida delivered a strong rebuke to leaders of the Islamic and Arab world, stating:
“The necks of this Ummah’s rulers, elites, and scholars are burdened with the blood of tens of thousands of innocent people who were betrayed by their silence.”
He added that Israel “would never have dared commit this genocide if it had feared punishment or lacked assurance of silence and betrayal.”
“We do not absolve anyone from the responsibility of this bloodshed,” he said, “nor do we exempt those who have the ability to act — each according to his capacity and influence.”
While criticising most Arab governments, Abu Ubaida singled out the Yemeni people and the Ansar Allah (Houthis) for praise:
“The truthful brothers in Ansar Allah forced the enemy to face an active front that became irrefutable proof against the idle and submissive.”
He also saluted “all the free people around the world who have risked much in trying to break the siege and stand in solidarity with our people.”
Prisoner Negotiations and Resistance’s Position
Addressing the ongoing indirect negotiations between the resistance and Israel, Abu Ubaida declared full support for the resistance’s negotiating delegation.
He revealed that the resistance has repeatedly offered — in recent months — to carry out a comprehensive exchange deal under which all Israeli captives would be released at once. However, he said, “war criminal Netanyahu and his ministers rejected the offer, having already prepared the public to accept the possibility that all of their captives were dead.”
Abu Ubaida confirmed that the resistance is monitoring the negotiation developments closely and hopes a deal will materialise that includes a halt to the genocidal war, full withdrawal of occupation forces, and urgent relief for the people of Gaza.
“But if the enemy remains obstinate in these negotiations,” he warned, “we cannot guarantee any return to partial deals, nor acceptance of the ‘10 captives’ proposal.”
A Final Warning to Collaborators
Abu Ubaida closed his address with a message to local collaborators working with the occupation, calling on them to:
“Repent immediately and return to their people before it is too late — when regret will no longer benefit them.”
He praised the Palestinian families and tribes that publicly disowned these collaborators, describing such societal rejection as a powerful step toward cleansing.
He added that the enemy’s use of “mercenaries and collaborators with Arab names” is proof of failure — a guaranteed recipe for defeat.
“The collaborators of the enemy will be nothing more than a discarded tool swept away by our people’s awareness, dignity, and refusal to tolerate treason.”
He concluded:
“It is the steadfastness of our people — their resilience in the face of betrayal, their patience, sacrifice, and resistance to deprivation — that most enrages our enemies.”
Recap of Abu Ubaida’s March Address
In his earlier address aired on Al Jazeera in March, Abu Ubaida stated that the resistance had abided by the ceasefire and prisoner exchange terms negotiated under international mediation, accusing Israel of violating the agreement in pursuit of U.S. cover to resume aggression.
In that broadcast, Abu Ubaida appeared on the right side of the screen, with an image of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock beside him, along with a Quranic quote from Surah Fatir (35:10):
“And the plotting of those [disbelievers] will perish.”
In response to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s threats of renewed combat, Abu Ubaida said:
“We are fully prepared for all scenarios. The resistance holds the capability to strike painful blows in any future confrontation. His threats are a sign of weakness and humiliation, and they only motivate us to continue breaking what remains of their false prestige.”
He added:
“The shortest path forward is to hold the enemy accountable to what it signed. What it failed to achieve by war, it will not achieve through threats and deception.”
He warned that further aggression against Gaza “will lead to the deaths of enemy captives,” and reiterated that the occupation bears full responsibility for both their suffering and their deaths due to its refusal to honour previous understandings.
There Is No Path But a Deal
Today, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) affirmed that after Israel fails to recover its captives by force, the only remaining path is a negotiated deal — on the resistance’s terms.
In a statement, Hamas said:
“Through its steadfastness and tactical diversity, the resistance is disrupting Israel’s calculations, seizing the initiative, and surprising it daily with new combat tactics the enemy cannot understand or confront — despite its attempts to break the will of the people through starvation and siege.”
The statement concluded:
“Israel’s failures are compounding. Its war on Gaza is a mirror of its overall collapse — a turning point in the history of the conflict that exposes the growing fragility of this entity and lays bare its crimes of murder, starvation, and genocide.”
