Israel has pursued Mohammed Deif since 1995 for his role in killing soldiers and civilians.
Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza last month, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed. Deif was believed to be a key architect of the October 7 attack, which killed 1,195 people in Israel.
Who was Mohammed Deif
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Mohammed Deif was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. His family originated from al-Qubeiba, near Ramleh in Mandatory Palestine, and were displaced during the 1948 Palestine war. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1988. Deif held an interest in the arts and established a theatre group called “The Returners” during his University years.
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Deif joined Hamas in 1987, shortly after its founding during the First Intifada against Israeli occupation. Israeli authorities arrested him in 1989, but he was released in 1991 as part of a prisoner exchange after serving 16 months. He helped establish the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. In 2002, he took command of the Brigades after the assassination of Salah Shehade. Deif transformed the Brigades into organised military units, leading them to become a more effective force.
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Mohammed Deif orchestrated several devastating suicide bombings during the 1990s and early 2000s, including the 1996 Jaffa Road bus bombings. He also masterminded the kidnappings and killings of several Israeli soldiers. He developed and implemented Hamas’ strategy of combining rocket attacks on Israel with tunnel warfare.
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He evaded seven Israeli assassination attempts since 2001, earning him the nickname “the cat with nine lives”. Israeli forces targeted him in airstrikes on his car, houses he visited and family homes. However, his survival has come at a high personal cost. In 2014, Israeli airstrikes killed his wife, infant son and 3-year-old daughter. Deif himself had suffered severe injuries, including the loss of an eye and limbs, as a result of these attempts on his life.
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Israel has pursued Mohammed Deif since 1995 for his role in killing soldiers and civilians, placing him on their ‘most wanted’ list. The US and European Union designated Deif as a terrorist, adding him to their terrorism lists in 2015 and 2023, respectively. Deif masterminded and carried out the 2023 October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. He claimed the attack was a response to Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa mosque and the killing of Palestinians. In May 2024, the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Deif and other leaders for their actions during the attack.
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