Hamas Military Wing Raises a 'Western Front' Against Israel in October 7 Anniversary Message
The spokesman of Hamas's military wing marked the third anniversary of the October 7 attack by asking what would happen if a "western front" were opened against Israel, naming Sudan and Libya alongside Iran and its allies.
The spokesman of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, used the third anniversary of the October 7 attack to raise the prospect of a new "western front" against Israel, in a message released on Wednesday, October 7.
In the message, the spokesman listed Sudan and Libya alongside Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, and then asked, according to an English translation carried by the Greek news site Reader: "So what would happen if a western front were opened against it?!"
Praise for the October 7 attack
He praised the planning and deception behind the October 7 attack, in which Hamas terrorists murdered about 1,200 people and abducted 251.
The spokesman also claimed that Israel's deterrence had been weakened and that drones had proved effective against it. These are his own assertions, not independent military assessments.
A question, not an announcement
The western front appeared in the message as a question, not as a declaration that such a front had been opened, and the spokesman named no place, force or timetable for it.
By setting North African countries beside Iran and its allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, the spokesman presented Hamas as part of a wider regional campaign against Israel.
Who speaks as Abu Obeida
The Qassam Brigades' spokesman appears under the name Abu Obeida. In December 2025, Hamas confirmed the death of the previous spokesman who used that name and presented a successor under the same name.
The name therefore refers to the new spokesman, whose personal identity has not been made public, and is no sign that his predecessor survived.
Israel on alert for the anniversary
The message came as the IDF was on heightened alert in Gaza. On Tuesday, October 6, Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to increase its readiness in Gaza ahead of the anniversary, after his office cited intelligence on Hamas intentions to attack Israeli troops on that date.
