On Thursday, Israel confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ top commander in Gaza and the operational “brains” behind the October 7 terrorist attack and countless other attacks on Israeli civilians over more than two decades.
Deif, who had already survived several assassination attempts by Israel that left him with the loss of a leg, an arm and an eye, was killed in an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in the Khan Yunis area of Gaza last day, July 13, that left more than 90 civilians dead. Hamas has not officially confirmed his death, but Israel says it has been confirmed following an assessment by its intelligence services in recent weeks.
The confirmation of Deif’s death was announced as Tehran was holding a funeral for Hamas political office leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an Israeli attack on the Iranian capital on Tuesday (see box).
Following the October 7 attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis, Israel vowed revenge and announced that six key Hamas political and military leaders were on a list of targets to be killed in retaliation (see infographic). Four are already out, two remain.
Axis of Resistance Discusses Retribution
Leaders of the “Axis of Resistance” met in Tehran on Thursday after the funeral of Ismail Haniyeh to discuss retaliation against Israel. “All resistance fronts will avenge the blood of martyrs,” said one participant. In addition to Iran, the axis includes Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis and several Iraqi and Syrian groups.
PROFILE
DEATH BRINGS HIM OUT OF THE SHADOWS
He lived and died so in the shadows that it took Israel 18 days to confirm they had killed him. The death of Mohammed Deif, the man who masterminded the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, occurred on July 13 but was only revealed on Thursday. The man Israel has been most searching for since 1995, his discreet and disguised life among the Gazan population explains why he has survived so far. His family was not so lucky. An Israeli terror attack in 2014 killed the wife and two children of the man who led Hamas’s military wing for years. Deif (“guest” in Arabic) was born in Khan Younis in an unspecified year in the 1960s and joined Hamas in 1990. He specialized in bomb making, creating the Qassam rocket and a network of tunnels in Gaza. The death of Deif, accused of several terrorist attacks since 1995 that have killed dozens of Israelis, was one of the hardest blows to Hamas.
Author: Ricardo Ramos
Source: CM Jornal
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