Israel’s number one enemy is called Mohammed Dief. He is the “ghost of Gaza”, few have direct contact with him and there are even doubts about his real identity. Deif is the military commander of Hamas, the man who this morning announced the start of an unprecedented “military operation” against Israel, of which he has been the number one enemy for years. The brigade’s leader, Ezzedin al-Qassam, since July 2002, joined Hamas in 1990 and has survived several Israeli attempts to assassinate him over the past 20 years. In an attack in 2014, he lost his wife and seven-month-old son, while the most recent known attempt to eliminate him dates back to Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021. Deif is the mastermind behind the rocket launch strategy against the Jews . State and building tunnels to infiltrate men and weapons. He is considered the most adamant opponent of the ceasefire with Israel. Born in Khan Younis around 60 years ago, Deif is in fact a “ghost” to both Israelis and Palestinians: the last photo of him dates back to 2001, when he was released from a PA prison.
No one even knows if Mohammed Deif is his real name, in fact, some claim that he was born as Mohammed al-Masri and that he adopted the “battle name” by which he is known because of a character he played in theater at the time. of the university. In 1990 he was arrested for the first time by the Israelis, who however released him shortly afterwards. And since then he has actively participated in the creation of the al-Qassam Brigades, demonstrating particular skill with weapons, in particular with rockets and bombs.
In 1996, after the death of Hamas “engineer” Yahya Ayash, killed by the Israelis with a cell phone full of explosives, Deif – whose name in Arabic means “guest” – assumed an increasingly central role in the Brigades and in the creation of attacks against the “Zionist enemy”. At the same time, he disappeared from circulation, while in 2002 he reappeared as leader of the armed wing of Hamas, becoming, according to Jewish State intelligence, the mastermind of all the bloodiest suicide attacks against Israeli buses and restaurants in the 2000s. . It was during this time that he survived numerous attempts to kill him, attempts that would have left him blind in one eye and in a wheelchair. And this contributed to increasing the legend surrounding his character, who Palestinians consider a hero, also for his frugal lifestyle and “low profile”. His strategy, in addition to developing increasingly sophisticated rockets to reach Israel, also includes the creation of a force of trained fighters to infiltrate the tunnels and attack. Deif is also believed to be very close to Iran.
Source: IL Tempo

John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.