Al-Qassam Reveals Identity of Fighter Whose Quip to Military Analyst Went Viral

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), have released a video documenting part of the life and actions of their fallen fighter, Ibrahim Muhammad Al-Balbisi, as part of the documentary series ‘Aqmar At-Tufan’ (Moons of the Al-Aqsa Storm). For the first time, Al-Qassam has revealed the identity of the figure who uttered the famous phrase ‘Hallil ya Duwairi’ (Analyse this, Duwairi!), which went viral during the war and Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. The phrase originated from a combat video in Gaza at the end of 2023. In the footage, an Al-Qassam fighter addresses military analyst Fayez Al-Duwairi, who was regularly following the war’s developments and providing daily analysis on Al Jazeera. The newly released footage features several clips of Al-Balbisi’s involvement in resistance military operations and his efforts to confront Israeli forces. The video shows his actions in a number of field operations in the central Gaza area, including targeting Israeli troops sheltering inside a house in the Juhor ad-Dik area. According to the video, Al-Balbisi launched a surprise attack by firing a rocket from an underground tunnel opening. After the attack hit its target, he uttered the phrase that later became famous: ‘Hallil ya Duwairi’, as an expression that the target had been successfully struck. Al-Qassam explained that Al-Balbisi was a fighter from the Al-Quds Battalion under the Central Region Brigade. He participated in the planning and execution of various operations and ambushes during the Al-Aqsa Storm battle that began on 7 October 2023.