The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) bombed the house of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif's father in Gaza on Wednesday morning. Members of his family, including his father, brother and children were killed in the attack. Deif is said to be the brain behind Saturday's terror attack on Israel.

The IDF said it struck over 200 targets of the terrorist group in the Al Furkan neighbourhood of the besieged Gaza Strip on Wednesday and one of the targets was Mohammed Deif’s father’s house, The Times of Israel reported.

"The IDF continues extensive waves of attacks in the Gaza Strip; dozens of Air Force fighter jets attacked over 200 targets in the Al Furkan neighbourhood for the third time in the past day This is the third attack in the area during the last day, in which the IDF attacked over 450 targets in the area of the neighbourhood," the IDF posted on X

As the Hamas-Israel conflict entered its fifth day on Wednesday, the death toll on both sides has crossed the 3,000 mark, according to the news agency AFP.

Mohammed Deif, the elusive leader of Hamas’ military wing, who is rarely seen in public, issued a statement on Saturday naming the invasion of Israel by Hamas fighters as the operation ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’. Deif stated that the attack was a direct response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, the ongoing Israeli occupation and a series of recent incidents that had heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions to an unprecedented level.

Who is Mohammed Deif?

Deif, often described as a ‘shadowy’ figure by some media outlets, remains an enigma, with little known about his background. Despite this, he has become a central figure in the conflict, guiding Hamas’ military strategies.

Mohammed Deif, originally named Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Masri, was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, established after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He joined Hamas in 1990 and later became known as Mohammed Deif due to his nomadic lifestyle, with ‘Deif’ meaning guest in Arabic.

Despite being a top target for the Israeli military since 1995 for his involvement in orchestrating attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, Deif has survived seven assassination attempts over the past two decades. These attempts left him severely injured; he lost an eye in the first attack and a part of his arm in the second, rendering him handicapped.

In 2014, an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of Deif’s wife, seven-month-old son and three-year-old daughter. Despite these personal losses and the constant threat to his life, Deif has managed to evade the Israel Defence Forces.

In 1990, Deif joined Hamas along with some of his associates. He played a direct role in kidnappings, bus bombings and other attacks, resulting in the deaths of numerous Israelis. Deif’s involvement continued, orchestrating bombing attacks post his release in 2001. He became the supreme military commander of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades after Hamas member Salah Shehade's assassination in 2002. Israel holds him responsible for multiple civilian deaths in suicide bombings, including the infamous Jaffa Road bus bombings in Jerusalem. Deif has remained atop Israel's most-wanted list for over two decades.

On July 12, 2006, an Israeli F-16 aircraft targeted a house where high-ranking Hamas leaders, including Deif, were meeting. He survived the attack but suffered severe spinal injuries. Following this incident, Ahmed Jabari assumed the role of acting commander for Hamas’ military wing.

Tragedy struck Deif’s family on August 19, 2014, when an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City claimed the lives of his wife, their 7-month-old son Ali, 3-year-old daughter Sara, and three other civilians. Despite reports of Deif's death, Hamas denied this claim.

In April 2015, Israeli media, citing intelligence sources, reported Deif’s survival of an assassination attempt. During Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, Israel attempted to kill Deif twice within a week, but he narrowly escaped on both occasions.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)

First Published:Oct 11, 2023 12:51 PM IST