Hamas confirms death of military chief Mohammed Deif

Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, announced on Thursday the death of its long-time chief of staff, Mohammed Deif. Deif had been evading capture by Israel for years, and was said to be so elusive that he was known in Arabic as “the guest” or “Deif.”

Israel claimed to have killed the 59-year-old Deif in an airstrike in the Mawasi area of southern Gaza in July, but Hamas had not confirmed it. Nevertheless, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in November, charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who were also wanted.

Prior to the warrant, Israel had also killed two other Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. Deif, whose real name is Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, is widely believed to be one of the masterminds of the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack resulted in at least 1,139 deaths and another 250 people being taken captive into Gaza.

Just hours after the early morning raid into Israel that day, Deif released a rare audio message announcing the start of the operation code-named “Al-Aqsa Flood” and calling on Palestinians inside Israel to “expel the occupiers and tear down the walls.”

Little is known about his life, Deif had a wife and two young children until 2014, when they were all killed in an Israeli airstrike. He had been wanted by Israel since the early 1990s for attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. In 2002, he became chief of staff of the Qassam Brigades and is believed to be the creator of the “shadow unit” responsible for guarding and hiding Israeli captives. Members of this unit, clad in black, were seen this month escorting released Israeli captives to be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

In 2015, the United States designated Deif as a “specially designated global terrorist.” In December 2023, the Israeli army airdropped leaflets in Gaza offering a $100,000 reward for information on Deif’s whereabouts, adding that “secrecy is absolute” for Palestinians who provide information.

Despite evading capture, Deif reportedly suffered life-altering injuries in multiple assassination attempts, affecting his mobility and eyesight, according to Israeli reports. Hamas has never confirmed these details. In a statement shared on Telegram, the Qassam Brigades described Deif as a “great leader” and a “living example of courage.” The Qassam Brigades said, using his common name among Palestinians, “We say goodbye to the leader, Abu Khaled.”