One of the deadliest attacks ever launched by Hamas on Israel was masterminded by a man known to have survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts.
Mohammed Deif, who has been on Israel’s most wanted list for almost three decades, stepped out of the shadows on Saturday morning as Hamas was launching its harrowing spate of violence against Tel Aviv and several settlements in southern Israel.
Speaking on the terror group’s TV channel, Deif said the “rage” of Palestinians was “exploding” and urged people to join militants in their attacks.
The ability by the leader of Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, to survive assassination attempts earned him the nickname “the man with nine lives”.
While he has escaped the attempts on his life, Deif is believed to have been badly injured and to have lost his eyesight, an arm and a leg.
Many of his loved ones are also believed to have lost their lives. His wife and young son remained victims of an Israeli air strike launched with the intent to kill Deif in 2014 on Gaza City.
On Wednesday, another Israeli strike killed the commander’s brother, sister-in-law and their children, according to Palestinian media.
Little is known of the man – including his name. While the US government believes his real name is Mohammed al-Masri, the Hamas leader is commonly referred to as “Deif”, an Arabic moniker that translates to “guest”.
Jacob Eriksson, a specialist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the University of York, explained the nickname saying: “It’s a reference to the fact he doesn’t stay more than one night in the same place to avoid being caught by Israel.”
Explaining how out of the ordinary is Deif’s ability to survive for so long while remaining one of Israel’s biggest threats, Mr Eriksson told France24: “Militancy against Israel is a field with low life expectancy. It’s quite remarkable that he has been able to survive so long.
“He is a long-lasting stain on Israel’s reputation of taking down designated targets.”
Deif hasn’t been seen in public for years and, even within Hamas, only a handful of people have met him. His only official picture dates back two decades, while two other snaps hide his face with a mask and shadows respectively.
Deif was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in southern Gaza between 1963 and 1965 and studied physics, chemistry and biology at the Islamic University of Gaza.
Having joined the militant wing of Hamas in the 1980s, he is known to have orchestrated suicide bombing attacks in the 1990s, and was blamed by Israel for participating in the terror attacks on buses that marred the Oslo process – a series of negotiations aiming at achieving a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Deif rose within Hamas’ ranks through the years thanks to his bomb-making expertise and the ability to develop the group’s intricate network of tunnels.
He gained prominence in 1996 after the assassination by Israeli intelligence of Yahya Ayyash, one of the group’s main explosives experts and a close ally of Deif.
In 2002, he was appointed leader of the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.
Deif laid low for years, even after the death of his wife and son, but returned to the forefront in May 2021 to broadcast a message warning Israel would pay “an expensive price” amid a dispute over Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem.
A new 11-day conflict followed as Hamas launched rockets from the Gaza Strip and hit Israeli cities.
Following the fresh attacks launched by Hamas on the weekend, which resulted in the death of more than 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of dozens of others, the whereabouts of Deif remain unknown.
The retaliatory strikes launched by Israel on the densely populated Gaza Strip also killed more than 1,000 people and wounded at least 5,000 more.
