ALBAWABA - A short film of the late Hudhayfa Al-Kahlout, who was the Qassam Brigades' spokesperson and is well known as Abu Ubaida, with his young son has gotten a lot of attention on social media.
The one-minute clip shows a rare, personal moment with the masked man, who was known for making firm and highly anticipated public comments. The video shows him happily interacting with his child, revealing a softer, more personal side that is different from how he usually acts in public.
Family Says He Died a Martyr
During the current attack on Gaza by Israel, Hudhayfa Al-Kahlout was killed. Earlier this week, his family confirmed this in the Gaza Strip. A statement from the family says that he was killed in an assassination operation in August with his wife, two girls, and son.
Yaman, the son who was killed as a hero with his father, is the child in the video that everyone is talking about.
Moments That Were Taken on Camera
In the video that a lot of people have shared, Abu Ubaida plays with his son and asks him a bunch of simple things that are common in early religious and educational settings. The question "What is the capital of Palestine?" was one of them, and the child quickly answered, "Jerusalem."
The father is teaching his son numbers and having a fun conversation with him in the video. This shows a scene of normal family life that you don't usually see with someone who is mostly known through official military comments.
Response from the Public
People really connected with the video, especially because of the difference between how Abu Ubaida is seen by the world and how he is as a loving father. Many people said that the video showed that public figures who are involved in strife have private lives that are affected by family, routine, and personal relationships. The clip went viral very quickly because of the human interest and emotional impact of the deaths it showed.
More Footage Comes Back
In addition, an older video has come to light showing Abu Ubaida singing the "Mawtini" song at a family get-together during a private moment in 2015. The scene made people even more sure that he was just a normal person when he wasn't working.
Human Side Outside of War
The commentary on the videos has mostly focused on the human side of the story, stressing themes of losing a father and the personal cost of war. A lot of people said that these kinds of times are often only discovered after someone dies. This changes how the public sees people they thought they knew in one way.
Now that these videos are being spread again, they have become a symbol of the broader human toll of the war, especially on families in Gaza.
