In the early hours of Thursday, March 27th, 2025, an official spokesperson of Hamas was reportedly killed in a strike declared by the Israeli military which hit a tent in Jabalia al-Balad, located in the northern Gaza Strip. The tent was situated within a camp for displaced people in the Halawa area of Jabalia.

The pro-Hamas Palestinian news agency Safa was the first to report the incident at 1:49 a.m., identifying the victim as 43-year-old Abd al-Latif Rajab Jumaa al-Qanou – described as a “Hamas spokesman.” Hamas officials later confirmed the report, stating that al-Qanou had “ascended to heaven as a martyr, at dawn on Thursday, as a result of a direct [Israeli] attack on the tent he was in in Jabalia.”

The Israeli military also acknowledged the strike in a later statement shared on its Telegram channel at 5:48 p.m. The IDF claimed it had “eliminated” al-Qanou, whom it accused of “systematically using the media for propaganda purposes, practicing psychological terrorism, and disseminating false information about the activities of the terrorist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip and beyond.”

The IDF also alleged that al-Qanou had served as “one of Hamas’ key inciters, as well as a terrorist in Hamas’ military wing.” However, this claim was not supported by any other local or independent sources. Users such as Waledd Alhamzy on Facebook stated that “Abdul Latif al-Qanou is not Abu Ubaida,” who is a spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades – Hamas’s military wing.

Al-Araby News provided additional background on al-Qanou and his involvement with Hamas. He was born in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on April 24, 1981. After graduating in 2002, he earned a BA in Fundamentals of Religion from the Islamic University of Gaza in 2005, followed by a Master’s degree in Quranic Interpretation from the same institution in 2008. In 2014, he obtained a Master’s in Management and Leadership from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza, and in 2019, he completed a PhD in Dawah and Media from the University of Tripoli in Lebanon.

Following his academic studies, al-Qanou became actively involved in Hamas. His political engagement reportedly began during high school, participating in the activities of the Islamic Bloc. At the Islamic University of Gaza, he rose through the ranks to become president of the Bloc. After graduation, he worked in Hamas media offices, initially serving as media director in 2007. He later became the group’s spokesperson for the northern governorate and was appointed as the official spokesperson for Hamas in 2009.

According to Airwars’ methodology, as the perpetrator of the strike was the only source to accuse the deceased of militant activity, al-Qanou has been classified as a civilian until further information comes to light.

Al-Qanou was frequently portrayed in official media appearances. Widely circulated photographs showed him in professional settings, seated in an office, dressed in a suit, with either the Palestinian flag or the Hamas flag in the background. One such image, shared by Saint Petersburg News, depicted him speaking into a microphone at a press event, wearing a grey suit and a green sash. The photo was edited with the word “eliminated” and an Israeli flag overlaid across the image.

A more graphic image was also widely shared, reportedly showing al-Qanou deceased, lying on the floor in a body bag, with a white sheet marked with visible bloodstains draped over him. A video by Al Jazeera shared on Facebook showed the transportation of his body to the hospital.

On social media, the user @AllSafety26063 shared a Hamas statement praising al-Qanou, noting that he “carried the responsibility of his message with responsibility and courage, and never hesitated to fulfill his role as the movement’s spokesperson, despite the extreme dangers he faced.”

Al-Qanou’s name has been cross-referenced with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) casualty lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released multiple lists and one additional list of medical professionals, issued on September 17, 2024. In this case, al-Qanou name was matched to the nineth MoH list, published on June 23, 2025.