Watan-An old and rare video clip of the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, has surfaced. He has become an icon for activists around the world, especially after the Al-Aqsa Storm operation in Gaza, where his images, attire, and features have become a “symbol” remembered everywhere.

The widely circulated clip features a conversation with a host from the dialogue channel, marking a “rare Arab interview, the first with the channel, with a figure associated with the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement.”

During the episode of his program at that time, the host, Saleh Al-Azraq, mentioned that Abu Ubaida is known to most of us only by his organizational name. He added, “We hear and read his thunderous and powerful statements from time to time without anyone seeing his uncovered face at all.

لقاء مهم سجّل قبل 12 سنة مع أبو عبيدة الناطق بإسم #كتائب_القسام الذراع العسكري لحركة المقاومة الإسلامية #حماس 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/hOhDeCHqQN

— الرادع المغربي 🇲🇦🔻🇵🇸 (@Rd_fas1) November 28, 2023

In the interview from several years ago, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades stated that the Zionist occupation withdrew from the Gaza Strip under the strikes of Palestinian resistance. He emphasized that the occupation still persists in Palestine, and the battle is ongoing, not concluded up to this moment.

Abu Ubaida clarified that while Gaza is a cherished part of their land, it represents only 1% of historic Palestine, most of which still suffers under the control of the Zionist occupation. He added, “Therefore, we consider this veil a symbol of Palestinian resistance, and we fear none but Allah. This veil remains a security precaution in our continuous and open battle with the Zionist occupation.

The battle is arduous and prolonged

One of the notable statements made by the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, in this rare interview includes:

• When we talk about the enumeration of the Al-Qassam Brigades, we can say it is an army in Palestine resisting Zionist occupation, attempting to reclaim Palestinian rights and liberate the land from the usurping occupation.
• We are in a tough and lengthy battle with the Zionist occupation. We are an army of thousands in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, seeking to reclaim the land of Palestine. We are the military wing of the venerable Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement.
• Regarding weapons, we are a resistance movement with Arab, Islamic, and popular extensions. We acquire weapons through our own means, overcoming the constraints and blockade imposed by the enemy over many years.

Concerning the West Bank, Abu Ubaida stated, “We assure the Palestinian people and all supporters of the resistance that the Al-Qassam Brigades are not a gang that can be eliminated overnight, nor are they a group operating in the air without leadership or organization.”

He added that the brigades “have a well-organized structure rooted in the land of Palestine with the blood of its pure martyrs and its noble leaders. They are enduring and present in the West Bank, by the permission of Allah.”

In reference to security coordination decisions and the like, he continued, “No matter how some try to tarnish the resistance in the West Bank, describing it as lawless groups and attempting to lift the legal cover from them, we say to all of them that Palestinian resistance did not start based on anyone’s decision, and it won’t be stopped by a similar decision.