Mohammed Deef, the shady chief of Hamas’s navy wing in Gaza and one of many chief architects on October 7, 2023, an assault on Israel, which lit a warfare, was confirmed by Hamas on Thursday that he was useless. He was on the finish of his 50s.
Mr. Deef, whose actual title was Mohammed Al Masri, was one in all Hamas’s highest leaders inside Gaza and he was some of the fascinating fighters in Israel for many years. He survived quite a few makes an attempt to kill Israeli in entrance of the one who killed him and was lionized by some Palestinians as a logo of Hamas’s resistance – although mysterious.
Whereas Israel introduced in August that he had been killed, Abu Nap, the spokesman for Hamas’s navy wing, solely admitted his loss of life on Thursday in a recorded video assertion. Each Israel and the USA thought of it a terrorist with the blood of their residents of their arms.
Def was killed on July 13, Israel mentioned when his forces bombard a Union on the outskirts of Khan Eunice in South Gaza, based on Israeli navy -which makes him one of many oldest Hamas commanders killed contained in the warfare within the warfare.
Loon didn’t say when or the place Mr. Deef was killed.
The shot, which killed Mr. Deef, additionally killed a minimum of 90 Palestinians on Earth, Gaza Well being Ministry struck, hitting the Al Mavasi space in South Gaza, a part of a humanitarian zone designated by Israel. The realm was a fantastic house filled with a whole bunch of 1000’s of displaced Palestinians, many lived in improvised shelters, based on the United Nations group. Israel mentioned Hamas works from the goal compound within the space.
Daff was the “beating coronary heart” of Hamas’s navy wing and one in all his most essential navy strategists, mentioned Michael Milshtein, a former Israeli intelligence officer who focuses on Palestinian affairs.
There have been some photos of Mr. Deef in circulation, and he was not often seen or heard as he spent a long time of hiding. His adopted title “Deif” means “visitor” in Arabic, broadly understood as a nod to the frequency with which he modifies locations to keep away from loss of life or seize.
He led the Qassam brigades, the Hamas navy wing, and was credited to turning what was as soon as a diffuse community of armed cells into nice fight pressure with tens of 1000’s in its ranks.
“He’s a legendary determine in Hamas,” mentioned Ibrahim Madhun, a Palestinian analyst near Hamas, mentioned earlier than the loss of life of G -Dif was confirmed by the militant group.
Born in 1965. In a poor Palestinian household, G -n Deff grew up In the refugee camp, Khan Dinis In South Gaza, not removed from the siney sineur, one of the best Hamas chief killed in October. Within the Eighties, he studied on the Islamic College of Gaza, specializing in the sciences and becoming a member of Hamas on the time when it was based within the late Eighties.
It shortly rose via the ranks, growing a popularity as bomber and orchestration A number of attacks Of Israel, together with a collection of lethal Bus attacks This killed dozens of individuals and derailed the peace course of within the mid-Nineteen Nineties.
Not lengthy after Hamas was based, Israel closed Mr. Deef for 16 months, starting in Might 1989.
D -n deif what character from the Palestinian power For a short while, ranging from 2000 at the moment, the Palestinian energy was a governing physique with restricted autonomy over elements of the west coast and fuel and was dominated by Fatakh, a Palestinian faction that Hamas rivals.
When Founder of Hamas’s military wing, Salah ShehadeHe was killed by Israeli air strike in 2002, Mr. Deaf took over the helm.
He upgrade and expand the production and import of missiles And it helped develop the huge Hamas tunnel community below Gaza. He additionally commanded the so-called shady brigade, which guarded Israeli captives held by Hamas, and managed funding in new applied sciences comparable to intelligence drones for the Qassam brigades, based on Mr. Madhun, the analyst.
It’s believed, claims the life of othersTogether with civilians. His means to flee from death-and usually justified the dedication to the destruction of Israel-forced his heroic standing amongst some Palestinians.
Israeli and Palestinian analysts additionally credited to the Qassam brigades, one thing nearer to the normal military.
Mr. Deef was among the finest names in Israel’s most fascinating record for many years and survived greater than eight experiences for his life, based on Israeli intelligence. In 2015, the US State Division described it as a “specifically outlined world terrorist”.
He was the purpose of a 2002 Rocket Strike by Israeli Helicopter on a busy road in Gaza. In 2014Israeli air strike killed one in all his wives, a younger son and His 3-year-old daughterS Throughout a extra early warfare with Hamas in Gaza in 2021, the navy in Israel mentioned there was tried to kill him several timesS
This war – Began by Hamas after Israeli efforts to expel Palestinians from their properties in East Jerusalem and Israeli police raids on the Aksa Mosque within the Outdated City of Jerusalem – was a turning level, Osama Hamdan, a frontrunner of Hamas with headquarters in Beirut, Later said to The New York TimesS
Over the subsequent few years, Hamas strengthened his navy capabilities.
It shares about 15,000 rockets together with mortars, anti -tank missiles and transportable air protection programs, based on US and different Western analysts. And its leaders – D -Dif and G -n Sinwar – have ready strictly guarded plans for October 7, 2023, an assault on Israel, whereas Hamas fighters are educated in flying paragliders and take hostages.
After the assault led by Hamas towards South Israel started, Mr. Deef launched a uncommon message. He declares that Hamas has determined to begin surgical procedure in order that “the enemy can perceive that the time of their invasion with out accountability is over,” talking at a recorded tackle.
“Righteous fighters, that is your day to bury this felony enemy,” he mentioned. “His time is over. Kill them the place you discover them. Take away this dust out of your land and your holy locations. Combat and angels combat with you. “
The assault on October 7, 2023 symbolized one of many largest failures of intelligence in Israel’s historical past and the breakdown of his picture as an impenetrable navy pressure. It was essentially the most useless day for the Jews after the Holocaust. About 1,200 individuals have been killed in rage, and roughly 250 have been taken hostage.
The assault lit a devastating warfare that killed tens of 1000’s of Palestinians, together with civilians. The 470-day warfare displaced most individuals in Gaza, led to a hungry disaster and the unfold of harmful illnesses, and made many Palestinians marvel if they’d a future within the territory. On January 19, fireplace got here into pressure, however it stays unclear how lengthy I’ll maintain.
Israel reacted by going to warfare towards Hamas in Gaza with G -N Def and different Hamas leaders in his crossed hair. In March, Israel Killed his best deputy, Marvan IsaS
In November, the Worldwide Legal Court docket issued an order for the arrest of G -N Daff, accusing him of warfare crimes and crimes towards humanity in connection together with his function earlier than, throughout and after the assault of October 2023.
This transfer was thought of to be largely symbolic, with a delicate probability that Mr. Deef would finish in custody. He spent a long time underground in Hamas’s tunnels below Gaza, based on Israeli intelligence officers, and has not been publicly watched for years.
The court docket additionally issued arrest orders for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Protection, Joab Gallant.
Just lately senior Israeli Protection officers have declared the navy believed that d -n Deff had developed health problems This compelled him to spend extra time above the bottom.
That is when the Israeli air strike discovered him on July 13.
Israeli unit that controls the identification of excessive -value targets, employees by navy intelligence and employees of Shin, had spent weeks spent weeks Villa Within the southern humanitarian space of Gaza, the place it was believed that one other prime lieutenant of Hamas – Rafa Salameh – was staying together with his household, based on protection employees.
After studying that Mr. Deef appeared to be within the villa, the Israeli authorities approved the fighter jets to overlook a minimum of 5 precision bombs on it, based on staff.
A minimum of 90 individuals on the bottom were killed And about 300 have been injured, based on the Well being Ministry of Gaza, which distinguishes between civilians and fighters.
That night, Mr. Netanyahu mentioned that an air strike was directed at Mr. Deef, however that there was nonetheless no “absolute readability” over his destiny.
“His arms are penetrated into the blood of many Israelis,” mentioned Netanyahu. “Originally of the marketing campaign, I launched: Hamas’s murderers are useless from the primary to the final.”
