One name remains shrouded in an enigma in the mysterious realm of military leaders – “Deif.” Translating to “guest” in Arabic, this nom de guerre is aptly chosen, reflecting his elusive habit of changing locations every night to evade Israeli attempts on his life. Mohammed Deif also known as Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al Masri (real name), born in Gaza’s refugee camp is the elusive commander of Hamas’ military wing; the man believed to be the orchestrator of the unprecedented attack on Israel that unfolded on October 7.
Within hours of this audacious assault, a recorded statement surfaced on a Hamas TV channel. The figure in the video, appearing as a silhouette, declared: “Enough is enough.” This marked the beginning of “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” a nod to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam’s third-holiest site, witnessing recent Israeli raids.
The tragic aftermath of the attack on Saturday has seen the death toll soar to 1300, as Hamas terrorists entered Israel from Gaza using paragliders to breach a barrier fence, resulting in fatalities and kidnappings. Approximately 150 Israelis were abducted from Israel and held hostage.
In response, Israel initiated a retaliatory offensive on the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian casualties reaching 1500. Further exacerbating the situation, Israel issued an evacuation order for over one million residents in northern Gaza.
Let’s embark on a journey to unravel the enigmatic persona of the mastermind behind this audacious attack.
There are reports that Mohammed Deif had connections to a theater group named “The Returners” during his university days in Gaza. Remarkably, he maintained this association after joining Hamas, occasionally playing roles in the terrorist group’s propaganda videos.
Mohammed Deif’s entry into the Hamas fold traces back to the first intifada, the Palestinian uprising in 1987. In 1989, he was arrested by Israeli authorities for his activities, resulting in over a year of incarceration. Upon his release and return to Gaza in the early 1990s, Deif’s ascent within the Hamas ranks was meteoric.
Over the decades, Mohammed Deif has been a prominent figure within Hamas, even before October 7. He was a marked man, subject to pursuit. Raphael Cohen of the RAND Corporation emphasizes, “He has been active in Hamas for decades. Even before 10/7, he was a wanted man.” Cohen further notes that Deif has allegedly orchestrated other large-scale terrorist attacks.
Mohammed Deif’s track record includes overseeing several suicide bombings, resulting in the deaths of numerous Israelis, dating back to 1995. His notoriety peaked in July 2002 when he assumed leadership of Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, following the assassination of its former leader, Saleh Shehada, by Israeli forces. Since then, Deif has been the chief architect of Hamas’ military strategies.
Mohammed Deif: The Palestinian commander who gave Israel the biggest shock in its history. pic.twitter.com/13z2vT2PRf
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 9, 2023
The U.S. State Department has officially designated Mohammed Deif as a terrorist, and he has long occupied a top spot on Israel’s most-wanted list. Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, has delved into Deif’s life, uncovering a series of Israeli assassination attempts against him. According to rumors, these efforts have left him disfigured or partially paralyzed. Furthermore, Deif has endured the loss of family members in these attacks. Reports suggest that he is blind in one eye, with some of his limbs amputated.
The year 2014 marked a tragic chapter when Mohammed Deif’s wife and one of his children perished in an Israeli-targeted airstrike on a Gaza residence, undertaken in a bid to assassinate him. Remarkably, Deif, often dubbed “the cat with nine lives,” managed to elude this life-threatening endeavor.
Mohammed Deif’s life is characterized by perpetual seclusion to safeguard against Israeli attacks and potential assassination. Lovatt notes, “The fact that he has personally been injured, the fact that he has lost family members in Israeli attacks, the fact that he spends his whole time in bunkers in Gaza, probably does a lot to shape his mentality.” This situation, described as a “bunker mentality,” underscores the psychological and physical toll inflicted by Israeli operations against him.
Moreover, Deif’s actions reflect a notable shift in power dynamics within Hamas, as his role in organizing the attack on Israel underscores the prominence of the military leadership over the political hierarchy. This transformation signifies a military takeover of Hamas, marking a departure from the status quo.
The outcome of these events will significantly influence the future of Hamas. If the prevailing sentiment within the movement is that this audacious endeavor did not yield the desired results, it could lead to a reconfiguration of power dynamics. The enigma surrounding Mohammed Deif, the alleged mastermind of the audacious attack on Israel, continues to shape the trajectory of history.
