After 25 Years Of Never Sleeping In The Same Place, Mohammed Deif Makes Fatal Error

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — For 25 years, he never slept in the same place, always flitting from place to place, mostly from tunnel to tunnel. Mohammed Deif, the supreme commander of Hamas’ military wing who previously survived more than seven Israeli assassination attempts, is described by Israel’s defense establishment as a “ghost-like” figure, constantly evading the surveillance of Israel’s intelligence apparatus.

On Saturday, the elusive Deif’s luck apparently ran out. As the director of all Hamas’s military actions, as the architect of Oct. 7th, Deif was still coordinating Hamas resistance when he scheduled a meeting with his deputy, Khan Younis Brigade Commander Rafa Salama – above the ground. Israeli intelligence picked up on the meeting and it was decided to make a targeted strike which would leave him – and all those in the building around – no chance of survival.

Five JDAM bombs rained down on the compound in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. Some 90 people were killed, 300 more injured in the unusual attack. The IDF somehow verified that no hostages were with Deif at the time. He is not known to be among the injured, but Israeli military sources have yet to confirm his death.

Deif was one of Hamas’ earliest recruits and was arrested by Israeli authorities in 1989. He spent 16 months in Israeli administrative detention on charges of taking part in the terror group’s military activities. During his detention, he worked to establish the al-Qassam Brigades, now Hamas’ military wing, aiming to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Additionally, he orchestrated the construction of tunnels for Hamas terrorists to infiltrate Israel and advanced the strategy of launching numerous rockets from the Gaza Strip.

Over the years, Deif has remained a wanted man, rarely appearing in public and always under heavy security measures and secrecy protocols. Even when moving between his offices, both above and below ground, he used a disabled-access elevator and staircases adapted for his disability, sometimes using a wheelchair.

In 2002, he survived a severe assassination attempt in which he was believed to have lost an eye, a leg and an arm. The last attempt on his life before the October 7 massacre was during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, when his wife and son were killed in a strike on a house in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.

During that operation, Deif directed Palestinian combat operations from a bunker, and after the attack, Hamas responded with a massive and unprecedented barrage of dozens of rockets targeting central and southern Israel within a relatively short period.

Salameh, who was declared dead by Hamas in the strike, was reportedly responsible for planning and executing several attacks, according to Israel. Among these were the kidnapping and imprisonment of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. He was also involved in planning the 2005 suicide bombing at the Orkhan outpost and other attacks originating from Khan Younis.

Deif’s right-hand man belongs to a family of terrorists who have been killed in IDF operations, including his mother, who was shot while helping her son escape from Israeli forces. His uncle, also killed, was a member of Hamas’ political bureau during the current war and a close associate of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar. Like Deif, Salameh survived several assassination attempts over the years.

In December of last year, about two months after the war began, it was reported that Deif was in better condition than previously believed, based on intelligence materials obtained by the IDF during the fighting in Gaza. These included a photograph received by the security establishment. According to the report, it was revealed that he could walk on both legs and use his hands.

Signs found by IDF soldiers in his home and facilities in the Palestinian enclave indicated that, although Deif sometimes uses a wheelchair, he can occasionally walk independently, albeit with some physical disability, a result of previous assassination attempts.

It appears that Deif remained active and even planned the deadly fighting from his hidden office, alongside senior Hamas officials who dispatched terror brigades for attacks against Israeli targets.