Mohammed Deif | |
|---|---|
| محمد الضيف | |
 Photo of Deif seized by the IDF from Hamas computers. Photo is believed to be c. 2018. | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1965 Khan Yunis refugee camp, Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip |
| Died | 13 July 2024 (aged 58–59) Al-Mawasi, Rafah, Gaza Strip[1][2][3] |
| Manner of death | Assassination by airstrike |
| Spouse | [a] |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | Islamic University of Gaza |
| Nicknames | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Hamas |
| Service years | 1987–2024 |
| Rank | Chief of Staff (2002–2024) |
| Commands | Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades Chief of Staff |
| Conflicts | |
| Palestinian nationalism Factions and leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
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Map: Birthplaces or family origins Details below: p. parents from, b. born in, d. death. |
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Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (Arabic: محمد دياب إبراهيم المصري; 1965 – 13 July 2024), better known as Mohammed Deif (Arabic: محمد الضيف), was a Palestinian militant and the head of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist organization Hamas.
Deif was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, to a family that fled or were expelled during the 1948 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 the Islamic University of Gaza in 1988, where he had established a theater group.[7]
Deif joined Hamas in 1987, weeks after it was established during the First Intifada against the Israeli 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 several suicide bombing attacks, including the 1996 Jaffa Road bus bombings. He became the head of the al-Qassam Brigades in 2002 and developed the group's capabilities, transforming it from a cluster of amateur cells to organized military units. He 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 Israel–Hamas war.
Deif had been on the Israeli military's most wanted list 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 was targeted in multiple Israeli assassination attempts since 2001, surviving at least seven attempts on his life. His wife, infant son, and 3-year-old daughter were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2014. The United States and the European Union added Deif to their terrorism lists in 2015 and 2023 respectively. In May 2024, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) applied for arrest warrants for Deif and several other Hamas and Israeli leaders for their war conduct.[8] On 21 November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Deif, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.[9]
Israel claims that Deif was killed in an airstrike in al-Mawasi on 13 July 2024. Hamas has denied Deif's death, but in early November 2024 it was reported that they had privately acknowledged his death.[10]
- ^ "IDF confirms Muhammad Deif, commander of Hamas's military wing, was killed in Gaza strike last month". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "IDF confirms it killed Mohammed Deif in Khan Yunis attack". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Israel Says It's Confirmed Hamas Number Two Deif Was Killed". Bloomberg. 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ Burke, Jason (13 July 2024). "Who is the Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
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CNN_ICC_Sinwar_Netanyahuwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader". Reuters. 21 November 2024.
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