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Mohammed Deif

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Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri
Native name
محمد الضيف
Nickname(s)Mohammed Deif (Mohammed the guest)[1]

Abu Khaled (kunya) The mastermind (Palestinian nickname)

The cat with nine lives (Israeli nickname)
Born1965 (age 58–59)
Khan Yunis refugee camp,Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip
AllegianceHamasandPalestine
Years of service1987–present
RankChief of Staff(2002–present)
Commands heldEzzedeen al-Qassam BrigadesChief of Staff.
Battles/wars
Alma materIslamic University of Gaza
Spouse(s)1st wife
2nd wife:Widad Asfoura
​
​
(m.2007; died 2014)​
[a]
Children
Relationsbefore1948his family lived inAl-Qubayba(Arabic:القبيبة).[4]

Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri(Arabic:محمد دياب ابراهيم المصري;born 1965), known asMohammed Deif(Arabic:محمد الضيف), is a Palestinian militant and the head of theEzzedeen al-Qassam Brigades,the military wing of the Islamist organizationHamas.

Mohammed al-Masri was born in 1965 in theKhan Yunis Refugee Campin theGaza Strip,to a family thatfled or were expelledduring the1948 Palestine war.[5][6]He reportedly left school temporarily to support his low-income family, later graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from theIslamic University of Gazain 1988, where he had established a theatre group.[7]

Masri joined Hamas in 1987, weeks after it was established during theFirst Intifadaagainst theIsraeli occupation,and later became known as Mohammed Deif, meaning 'guest' in Arabic, possibly in reference to the nomadic lifestyle he adopted to avoid being targeted. During the 1990s and early 2000s, he planned severalsuicide bombingattacks, including the 1996Jaffa Road bus bombings.He became the head of the al-Qassam Brigades in 2002, and has since developed the group's capabilities, transforming it from acluster of amateur cellsto organized military units. He has masterminded the group's strategy of combiningrocket attacks on Israelwithtunnel warfare,and was central to planning the2023 Hamas-led attack on Israelthat initiated theIsrael–Hamas war.

Deif has been theIsraeli military's 'most wanted' man since 1995 forkilling Israeli soldiers and civilians.He was detained by thePalestinian Authorityat Israel's request in 2000 before escaping months later. He was targeted in eight Israeli assassination attempts since 2001, themost recent of which came during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war,having survived at least seven of them. His wife, infant son, and 3-year-old daughter were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2014. TheUnited Statesand theEuropean Unionhave added Deif to their terrorism lists in 2015 and 2023 respectively. In May 2024, theProsecutor of the International Criminal Court(ICC)applied for arrest warrantsfor Deif and several other Hamas and Israeli leaders for their war conduct.[8]

Early life

Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri was born in 1965 in theKhan Younis refugee campin the southernGaza Strip.[9][10]His family originates fromal-Qubeiba,a former town nearRamlehinMandatory Palestine,butfled or were expelledduring the1948 Palestine war.[6][5][11]According to theShin Bet,either his father or his uncle had participated in sporadic raids into Israel conducted by Palestinian fedayeen in the 1950s.[12]

Although not much is known about the details of his early life and upbringing,[13]he reportedly had to temporarily drop out of school to support his low-income family, working with his father in upholstery and later starting a small poultry farm.[14]It is understood that he studied chemistry at theIslamic University of Gaza,[7][15]from which he graduated with aBachelor's degreein 1988.[16]

During his years at the university, he had a passion for theatre, establishing a theatre group called "The Returners", in reference toPalestinian refugeeslongingto returnto the lands they lived on before to theNakba.[7][16]He played a number of roles, including those of historical figures.[14]

Early militant career

Deif joinedHamasin 1987, weeks after its establishment during theFirst Intifadaagainst theIsraeli occupation.[17][15]He was arrested by Israeli authorities in 1989 for his involvement with the organization.[18]After 16 months of detention, he was released in a prisoner exchange. Soon after his release, he helped establish theEzzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades,the armed wing of Hamas.[15][16]

Deif was close toEmad AkelandYahya Ayyash,who wereassassinated by Israelin 1993 and 1996 respectively.[18][13]He trained with, and learnt bombmaking from, Ayyash.[19][20]After Ayyash's assassination, Deif reduced his profile to avoid being targeted.[7]During the 1990s and early 2000s, he was behind a number of suicide bombing attacks,[21][22][23]including the 1996Jaffa Road bus bombings.[24][25]He also oversaw the kidnappings and later killings of Israeli soldiers Shahar Simani, Aryeh Frankenthal, andNachshon Wachsmanin the 1990s.[26]After Israel assassinated Ayyash on 5 January 1996, Deif, now commander of the Qassam Brigades, organized a mass-casualty bombing campaign inside Israel as retaliation, including theDizengoff Center suicide bombingin Tel Aviv and the twoJaffa Road bus bombingsin Jerusalem. These operations were, in their scale, scope and sophistication, different and larger than any attacks of the past, and it has been alleged that both Syria and Iran had helped in their planning and financing. According to a report,SyrianMinister of DefenseMustafa TlassinstructedGhazi Kanaan,the commander of Syrian forces inLebanon,to establish links betweenHezbollahand Hamas fighters, who were then trained both in Lebanon and inIranand participated in the retaliatory operations for the murder of Ayyash.[27][28]According toMike Kelly,Hamas operative Hassan Salameh, who planned three of the attacks, was trained inIran.[29]In 2000, families of American victims of the attacks filed a lawsuit against Tlass, Kanaan and iranian Minister of IntelliigenceAli Fallahian.[30][31][32]

In May 2000, Deif was arrested at Israel's request by thePalestinian National Authority,[17][33][34]but he escaped in December with assistance from some of his guards.[35]

According to Israeli journalistRonen Bergman,Deif's campaign of massive retaliation and the failure of Israeli intelligence services to prevent it, was one of the factors that led to the defeat of Prime MinisterShimon Peresand theIsraeli Labor Partyin the1996 Israeli general electionand the victory of the right-wingLikudparty ofBenjamin Netanyahu,who opposed theOslo peace process:

At the beginning of February, Peres was up twenty points in the polls over his opposition, the conservative hawk Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. By the middle of March, Netanyahu had closed the gap significantly, and Peres led by only five percentage points. On May 29, Netanyahu won by 1 percent of the vote. This was all due to the terror attacks, which Peres simply couldn't stop. Yahya Ayyash's disciples had ensured the right wing's victory and "derailed the peace process," in the words of the deputy head of theShin Bet,Yisrael Hasson.[36]

After Netanyahu got elected, attacks stopped, with some asserting that this was becauseYasser Arafatclamped down on Hamas members, but Bergman insisting that the halt was because the short-term goal of the attacks was to stop the Oslo peace process, and Netanyahu was now working towards the same goal.[36]

Head of the al-Qassam Brigades

Deif became the head of theal-Qassam BrigadesafterIsraelassassinatedSalah Shehadein July 2002.[37]Between July 2006 and November 2012, effective command was exercised by Deif's deputy,Ahmed Jabari,after Deif was seriously wounded in an Israeli assassination attempt.[25][38]

As the overall commander of the Qassam Brigades he is thought to be the main organizer of the daring and successfulraidinto Israel that killed two IDF soldiers and capturedGilad Shalitin June 2006, as well as the five-year operations to deceiveMossadandShin Betabout Shalit's location in Gaza.[26]He is also in charge of the Qassam Brigades' procurement of weapons from abroad, has overseen the transfer and manufacturing of IranianFajr-5rocket components into Gaza, and has maintained a correspondence with IranianQuds ForcecommanderEsmail Qaaniand his predecessorQasem Soleimani.[39]In a letter, Soleimani had called Deif a "dear brother" and a "living martyr".[40]

In September 2015, theUS Department of Stateadded Deif and three other Hamas leaders to the American list ofSpecially Designated Global Terrorists.[41][42]In December 2023, the European Union added him to their terror blacklist in 2023.[43]

Shadow Unit

Deif also created the "Shadow Unit" within the al-Qassam Brigades. Among the unit's duties are "to guard enemy captives held by the al-Qassam Brigades, to hide them and to thwart enemy attempts to find them." A Qassam video said that the unit "treats enemy captives honorably, in line with the rules ofIslam,and provides for their needs, taking into account the treatment given to the prisoners of the resistance in the hands of the enemy. "[44]

Strategy

See also:Palestinian rocket attacks on IsraelandPalestinian tunnel warfare in the Gaza Strip

Deif has been credited with transforming the al-Qassam Brigades from a cluster of amateurcellsto organized military units, described as an 'army,' that are capable of invading Israel.[15]His military strategy has been dubbed the 'above and below' strategy, built onattacking Israeli territory with rocketsandconstructing underground tunnelsto be used in infiltrating theborder with Israel.[21]

Israel–Hamas war

Main articles:Israel–Hamas warand2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel

As the highest-ranking leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, Deif was involved in orchestrating thesurprise attack on Israelthat commenced theIsrael–Hamas war,which, according to a source close to Hamas he began planning in the lead up to the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, motivated by scenes of Israeli forces stormingAl-AqsaduringRamadan.[9]According toFrance24,he is the mastermind behind the attack on October 7th.[19]The decision to launch the attack was taken jointly by Deif andYahya Sinwar,the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.[45][46]

After the attack, aReutersreport stated that over the previous two years, Deif deceived Israel into believing Hamas was not interested in another round of conflict.[9][47]This deception campaign involved a decision not to participate in the clashes between Israel and thePalestinian Islamic JihadinAugust 2022andMay 2023,putting Israel under the impression that Hamas "was not ready for a fight" and could be contained by providing economic incentives to Gazan workers.[48]

On the day of the attack, Deif gave an audio address, his first since 2021, justifying it as a response to the "desecration" of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the killing and wounding of hundreds of Palestinians in 2023.[20][49][50]He called onPalestiniansandArab Israelisto "expel the occupiers and demolish the walls".[50][51]Announcing the start of "Operation Al-Aqsa Storm," Deif said that "In light of the continuing crimes against our people, in light of the orgy of occupation and its denial of international laws and resolutions, and in light of American and western support, we've decided to put an end to all this so that the enemy understands that he can no longer revel without being held to account."[9][12]

On 20 May 2024, a request for an arrest warrant against Deif and four other Palestinian and Israeli leaders was filed by theProsecutor of the International Criminal Court(ICC) on several counts ofwar crimesandcrimes against humanity,as part ofits investigation in Palestine.[52][8]

Assassination attempts

The Israeli military and security forces have killed numerous members of Deif’s family in failed attempts to kill Deif, who has been on top of Israel's 'most wanted list' since 1995,[20][26]and other airstrikes. Deif's survival has earned him the nickname 'the cat with nine lives' among his Israeli adversaries.[7][53][49]As of October 2023, he has survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts.[13]

However, as of December 2023, Israel has so far killed Deif’s brother, his nephew, his niece, his wife, his 3-year-old daughter, and his 7-month-old son.[9][54]

Early attempts (2001 to 2006)

The first attempt on his life was by an airstrike in 2001, before he assumed the leadership of the al-Qassam Brigades.[14][55][56]Israel tried again to kill Deif in September 2002 by a strike on his car.[57][58]Video footage from that attempt show Deif covered in blood as a man drags him away.[59]

In 2003 and in July 2006, Israel tried again by striking a house that hosted a meeting of the Hamas leadership.[14][55][60]It is also said that the July 2006 attempt was an airstrike on the house of one of Deif's lecturers in university when Deif was visiting him.[15]

2014 Gaza war

In August 2014, during the2014 Gaza War,the Israeli air force attempted to assassinate him with an airstrike on theDeif family homeinSheikh RadwaninGaza City.[61]Hamas denied that Deif was killed,[62][63]which was confirmed by Israeli intelligence in 2015.[25][64]

Two failed attempts in one week (2021)

In May 2021, during the2021 Israel-Palestine crisis,the Israel military tried to kill Deif twice in one week, but both attempts proved unsuccessful.[65]

Israel–Hamas war (2023-2024)

Main article:2024 targeted assassination of Muhammad Deif

In October 2023, during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Deif's father house was hit by an Israeli airstrike, killing Deif's brother, nephew, and niece.[9][54]It was unclear whether or not the airstrike targeted Deif.[54]

On 13 July 2024, he was targeted in an Israeli strike in the al-Mawasi neighborhood of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. According to reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 90 Palestinians were killed and 289 injured as a result of the attack.[66][67]

Impact on health

After the 2006 assassination attempt, Deif spent three months in Egypt for treatment of his skull after shrapnel lodged in it, and he continues to take tranquillizers daily to treat headaches.[15][58]

It was believed that the seven assassination attempts have lost Deif an eye and limbs.[13]Hamas has not confirmed or denied these claims and does not comment on his health.[17][68]Footage obtained by the Israeli military in December 2023 showed Deif using both hands and walking on his own two feet, though with a slight limp and occasionally with the aid of a wheelchair.[69][70]

Public image

Deif, thenom de guerrethat Mohammed al-Masri takes, means 'guest' in Arabic. This is said to refer to the fact that he stays in a different house each night as a precaution against Israeli attacks.[71]Another explanation says that the name comes from a theatre role he played in his earlier years.[7]He is also known by hiskunyaAbu Khaled.[5]

There are only two known photos of Deif's face, the more recent of which having been taken in the year 2000.[72][73]He never appears in public,[9]and he rarely gives recorded audio addresses.[20]His whereabouts are unknown, but it is likely that he stays in the underground tunnel networks in Gaza.[74]

In spite of his elusiveness,[20]he is highly popular amongst Palestinians for his hardline stance against Israel,[20]and has become a 'folk hero' for his survival of many assassination attempts,[75]and is nicknamed 'the mastermind' by Palestinians.[76]As a sign of his popularity, his name has been featured in protest slogans such as: "Put the sword before the sword, we are the men of Mohammed Deif."[5][46][77]His position as a military leader rather than a political one has shielded him from criticism of the Hamas administration of theGaza Strip.[21]

Personal life

Deif married Widad Asfoura in 2007.[78]Widad, their infant son Ali (Arabic:علي), and their 3 year-old daughter Sarah (Arabic:سارة) werekilledin the 2014 assassination attempt.[9][79][80]They had two other children: Omar (Arabic:عمر), who was injured, and Hala (Arabic:حلا), who was missing for more than 2 days.[79][81]Deif has two other sons, Bahaa (Arabic:بهاء) and Khaled (Arabic:خالد).[3][2]

Deif's mother died in 2011,[14]and his father in 2022.[82] His family came to theGaza Stripfrom further away than most members of Hamas; before1948his family lived inAl-Qubayba(Arabic:القبيبة).[4]

See also

Further reading

Notes

  1. ^abcdefSarah (Arabic:سارة) and Ali (Arabic:علي) were killed by an Israeli airstrike aimed at Mohammed Deif, that also killed their mother, Widad Asfoura.[79][81]Widad had two other children with Deif: Omar (Arabic:عمر) survived with minor injuries, and the status of Hala (Arabic:حلا) is unknown.[79]
  2. ^abBahaa (Arabic:بهاء) and Khaled (Arabic:خالد)[2][3]

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