Mohammed Deif's Elusiveness and Survival
A senior Hamas official has confirmed that its military leader, Mohammed Deif, remains alive following an Israeli attack on al Mawasi in the Khan Younis area. This attack aimed at eliminating Deif resulted in the deaths of 90 people. 'Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly supervises the operations of the al-Qassam brigades and the resistance,' an anonymous senior official of the Palestinian Islamic movement told AFP. The Israeli media also picked up this statement.
The Legend of Mohammed Deif
Mohammed Deif, born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in 1965, has become a legendary figure within Hamas, known for his ability to evade numerous assassination attempts by Israel. Deif, whose nom de guerre means 'guest' in Arabic, is often referred to as 'the cat with nine lives' due to his survival skills. He joined the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, after his release from an Israeli prison in 1990 and rapidly rose through the ranks.
The Israeli Army recently bombed the 'humanitarian zone' of Mawasi, south of the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 90 Palestinian deaths and 290 injuries, according to Palestinian health authorities. The attack was 'based on intelligence' and targeted Deif and Rafa Salama, commander of the Khan Yunis brigade of Hamas's military wing.
Israel considers Deif the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israeli soil, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 250 kidnappings, igniting the current conflict. Deif, along with Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, planned the operation known as 'the flooding of Al Aqsa' in response to ongoing Israeli aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Despite his notoriety, little is known about Deif's personal life. He studied physics, chemistry, and biology at the Islamic University of Gaza and was part of a theater group. He has been involved in Hamas's propaganda videos, according to Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence officer.
Deif joined Hamas during the First Intifada in 1987, was arrested by Israel in 1989, and spent 16 months in prison. After his release, he returned to Gaza and quickly climbed the ranks of the ultra-Islamist group. The United States has listed Deif as a terrorist operative since 1995, and he has been on Israel's most wanted list for his role in planning numerous attacks, including suicide bombings.
In 2000, Deif was imprisoned again but managed to escape. He became the head of the al-Qassam Brigades in 2002 after Israel assassinated its leader, Saleh Shehada. Since then, Deif has been the architect of Hamas's military strategy.
Deif's life in the shadows is a matter of survival. He avoids modern technology to evade tracking and has survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts, which are believed to have left him disfigured or partially paralyzed. In the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, Deif's wife and children were killed in an attack on his home.
Unverified information suggests that Deif may be blind in one eye, have lost some limbs, and have speech difficulties. However, recent intelligence indicates that Deif is more intact than previously believed. If confirmed dead, Deif's loss would be a significant blow to Hamas, as he, along with Sinwar, has been central to the group's strategic shift towards military actions.
