Mohammed Deif

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Mohammed Deif
محمد الضيف
Birth nameMohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri
Nickname(s)Abu Khaled (kunya)

The mastermind (Palestinian nickname)

The cat with nine lives (Israeli nickname)
Born1965 (age 58–59)
Khan Yunis refugee camp, Gaza Strip (under Egyptian rule)
AllegianceHamas Hamas (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades)
Years of service1987–present
RankChief of Staff (2002–present)
Battles/wars
Alma materIslamic University of Gaza
Spouse(s)
Widad Asfoura
(m. 2007; died 2014)

(killed by an Israeli airstrike)
Children4 (2 deceased, killed by an Israeli airstrike)

Mohammed Deif (Arabic: محمد الضيف), born Mohammed al-Masri (Arabic: محمد المصري), is a Palestinian militant and the head of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist organization Hamas.

Mohammed al-Masri was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip that was set up after the 1948 Palestine war. He reportedly left school temporarily to support his low-income family. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1988.

Masri joined Hamas in 1987 and 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 several suicide bombing attacks, including the 1996 Jaffa 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 a cluster of amateur cells to organized military units. He has masterminded the group's strategy of combining rocket attacks on Israel with tunnel warfare, and was central to planning the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel that initiated the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

Deif has been the Israeli military's 'most wanted' man since 1995 for killing Israeli soldiers and civilians. He was detained by the Palestinian Authority at Israel's request in 2000 before escaping months later. He has survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts since 2001, the most recent of which came during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. His wife, infant son, and 3-year-old daughter were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2014. The United States Department of State added Deif to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2015. The European Union added Deif to their terrorist blacklist in 2023.

Early life

Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri was born in 1965 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip.[1][2] His family originates from al-Qubeiba, near Ramleh, but had to flee or were expelled by Zionist militias during the 1948 Palestine war.[3][4] According to the Shin Bet, either his father or his uncle had participated in sporadic raids into Israel conducted by Palestinian militants in the 1950s.[5][6]

Although not much is known about the details of his early life and upbringing,[7] 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.[3][8] It is understood that he studied chemistry at the Islamic University of Gaza,[9][10] from which he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 1988.[11]

During his years at the university, he had a passion for theatre, establishing a theatre group called "The Returners", in reference to Palestinian refugees longing to return to the lands they lived on before to the Nakba.[9][11] He played a number of roles, including those of historical figures.[8]

Early militant career

Deif joined Hamas in 1987, weeks after its establishment during the First Intifada.[3][10] He was arrested by Israeli authorities in 1989 for his involvement with the organization.[12] After 16 months of detention, he was released in a prisoner exchange. Soon after his release, he helped establish the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.[10][11]

Deif was close to Emad Akel and Yahya Ayyash, who were assassinated by Israel in 1993 and 1996 respectively.[12][7] He trained with, and learnt bombmaking from, Ayyash.[13][14] After Ayyash's assassination, Deif reduced his profile to avoid being targeted.[9] During the 1990s and early 2000s, he was behind a number of suicide bombing attacks,[15][16][17] including the 1996 Jaffa Road bus bombings.[18][19] He also oversaw the kidnappings and later killings of Israeli soldiers Shahar Simani, Aryeh Frankenthal, and Nachshon Wachsman in the 1990s.[20]

In May 2000, Deif was arrested at Israel's request by the Palestinian National Authority,[3][21][22] but he escaped in December with assistance from some of his guards.[23]

Head of the al-Qassam Brigades

Deif became the head of the al-Qassam Brigades after Israel assassinated Salah Shehade in July 2002.[24] 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.[19][25]

As the overall commander of the Qassam Brigades he is thought to be the main organizer of the daring and successful raid into Israel that killed two IDF soldiers and captured Gilad Shalit in June 2006, as well as the five-year operations to deceive Mossad and Shin Bet about 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 Iranian Fajr-5 rocket components into Gaza, and has maintained a correspondence with Iranian Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani and his predecessor Qasem Soleimani.[27] In a letter, Soleimani had called Deif "my dear brother" and a "living martyr".[28] During the 2012 split in the Hamas leadership over the organization's stance toward Bashar al-Assad, Deif, along with Yahya Sinwar, are thought to have belonged in the pro-Iranian and pro-Syrian faction within Hamas.[citation needed]

In September 2015, the US Department of State added Deif and three other Hamas leaders to the American list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.[29][30] In December 2023, the European Union added him to their terror blacklist in 2023.[31]

Strategy

Deif has been credited with transforming the al-Qassam Brigades from a cluster of amateur cells to organized military units, described as an 'army,' that are capable of invading Israel.[10] His military strategy has been dubbed the 'above and below' strategy, built on attacking Israeli territory with rockets and constructing underground tunnels to be used in infiltrating the border with Israel.[15]

Israel–Hamas war

As the highest-ranking leader of the al-Qassam Brigades, Deif was involved in orchestrating the surprise attack on Israel that commenced the Israel–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 storming Al-Aqsa during Ramadan.[2] According to France24, he is the mastermind behind the attack on October 7th.[13] The decision to launch the attack was taken jointly by Deif and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.[32][33]

After the attack, a Reuters report stated that over the previous two years, Deif deceived Israel into believing Hamas was not interested in another round of conflict.[2][34] This deception campaign involved a decision not to participate in the clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in August 2022 and May 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.[35]

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.[14][36][37] He called on Palestinians and Arab Israelis to "expel the occupiers and demolish the walls".[37][38] 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."[2][5]

Assassination attempts

Deif has been on top of Israel's 'most wanted list' since 1995.[14][39] As of October 2023, he has survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts.[7] The first attempt on his life was by an airstrike in 2001, before he assumed the leadership of the al-Qassam Brigades.[8][40][41] Israel tried again to kill Deif in September 2002 by a strike on his car.[42][43] Video footage from that attempt show Deif covered in blood as a man drags him away.[44]

In 2003 and in July 2006, Israel tried again by striking a house that hosted a meeting of the Hamas leadership.[8][40][45] 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.[10]

In August 2014, during the 2014 Gaza War, the Israeli air force attempted to assassinate him with an airstrike on a house in Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City.[46] Hamas denied that Deif was killed,[47][48] which was confirmed by Israeli intelligence in 2015.[19][49] In May 2021, during the 2021 Israel-Palestine crisis, the Israel military tried to kill Deif twice in one week, but both attempts proved unsuccessful.[50]

In October 2023, during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Deif's father house was hit by an Israeli airstrike, killing Deif's brother and two other family members.[2] It was unclear whether or not the airstrike targeted Deif.[51]

Deif's survival has earned him the nickname 'the cat with nine lives' among his Israeli adversaries.[9][52][36]

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.[10][53]

It was believed that the seven assassination attempts have lost Deif an eye and limbs,[7] leaving him wheelchair-bound.[54] Hamas has not confirmed or denied these claims and does not comment on his health.[3][55] However, footage obtained by the Israeli military in December 2023 showed Deif in a significantly better condition, using both hands and walking on his own two feet, even though he still had a slight limp and occasionally used a wheelchair.[56][57]

Public image

Deif, the nom de guerre that 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.[58] Another explanation says that the name comes from a theatre role he played in his earlier years.[9] He is also known by his kunya Abu Khaled.[4]

There are only two known photos of Deif’s face, the more recent of which having been taken in the year 2000.[59][60] He never appears in public,[2] and he rarely gives recorded audio addresses.[14] His whereabouts are unknown, but it is likely that he stays in the underground tunnel networks in Gaza.[61]

In spite of his elusiveness,[14] he is highly popular amongst Palestinians for his hardline stance against Israel,[14] and has become a 'folk hero' for his survival of many assassination attempts,[62] and is nicknamed 'the mastermind' by Palestinians.[63] 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."[4][33][64] His position as a military leader rather than a political one has shielded him from criticism of the Hamas administration of the Gaza Strip.[15]

Personal life

Deif married in 2007.[65] His wife, Widad Asfoura, his infant son and 3 year-old daughter were killed in the 2014 assassination attempt.[2][66] He has two other sons, Bahaa and Khaled.[67]

Deif's mother died in 2011,[8] and his father in 2022.[68]

See also

References

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