Mohammed Deif

Commander of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades

Palestinian Khan Younis, Gaza Strip

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Quick Info

ProfessionCommander of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
NationalityPalestinian
Date of Birth12/08/1965
Age58 years (died on 13, Jul, 2024)
BirthplaceKhan Younis, Gaza Strip
Date of Death13/07/2024

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Bio/Wiki

Full nameMohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri
Other Names
  • The cat with nine lives
  • Abu Khaled
  • Mohammed Deif
  • al-Deif (meaning 'the guest' in Arabic)

Physical Stats & More

Lost an eye in an Israeli assassination attempt
Sustained serious injuries to one leg in an Israeli assassination attempt

Educational Qualification(s)

College/UniversityIslamic University, Gaza
Educational QualificationScience degree

Personal Life

ReligionIslam

Relationships & More

Marital StatusWidowed
Marriage Date01/01/2011

Family

Wife/SpouseWidad Asfoura (killed in 2014 airstrike)
Children
  • Ali (deceased)
  • Sara (deceased)
SiblingsAbd al-Fattah Diab (deceased)

Career

Founding member of Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (1987)
Detained by Israel for 16 months in 1989, charged with military involvement
Agreed with Salah Shehade while imprisoned to form a military cell focused on capturing Israeli soldiers
Became head of Hamas' armed wing in July 2002 after Salah Shehade's assassination
Established military training academy for the Qassam Brigades
Oversaw production of rockets and missiles in Gaza
Credited with designing Hamas Qassam rockets and tunnel networks beneath Gaza
Masterminded rocket-launching techniques, suicide bus bombings, soldier kidnappings, and tunnel-digging operations
Orchestrated Operation Al-Aqsa Storm (October 7, 2023 attack on Israel)
Survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts between 2001 and 2021
Designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by US Department of State
On Israel's 'most wanted' list for over 20 years

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri is a Palestinian militant and a prominent leader of Hamas.
2. He serves as the supreme military commander of Hamas’ military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
3. Over the years, he adopted a nomadic lifestyle to avoid detection and targeting by Israel.
4. Born to Palestinian refugee parents in Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in Gaza.
5. He briefly left school to support his family before earning a science degree from the Islamic University in Gaza.
6. Hamas was established by Palestinian imam Ahmed Yassin after the First Intifada in 1987.
7. His ties with Hamas began in 1990 through his associates Yahya Ayyash and Adnan al-Ghoul.
8. Deif was involved in numerous terrorist attacks against Israel during the 1990s.
9. He led the abduction and killing of IDF soldiers Shahar Simani, Aryeh Frankenthal, and Nachshon Wachsman in 1994.
10. Despite multiple Israeli assassination attempts, he has survived.
11. Often called 'the cat with nine lives' by the media.
12. After his wife, Widad Asfoura, was killed in a 2014 airstrike, his mother-in-law offered him her other daughters for marriage.
13. In 2021, he issued a stern warning regarding the eviction of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, vowing retaliation against Israel.
14. In 2023, he orchestrated Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise multi-front attack on Israel.
15. Born to Palestinian refugee parents in Khan Younis Refugee Camp in Gaza.
16. His ties with Hamas began in the late 1980s through his associates Yahya Ayyash and Adnan al-Ghoul.
17. Deif was involved in numerous attacks against Israel during the 1990s and early 2000s.
18. He led operations resulting in the deaths of Israeli soldiers including Shahar Simani, Aryeh Frankenthal, and Nachshon Wachsman in 1994.
19. Rarely photographed or filmed, maintaining extreme operational security throughout his life.
20. His mentor was Yahya Ayyash, renowned for building Hamas bombs and weaponry.
21. During the 2014 Gaza-Israel war, he was responsible for launching attacks during humanitarian ceasefires.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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