Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Doha – Hamas’s military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed Thursday the death of its Chief of Staff Mohammed Deif and six other senior commanders during the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
The confirmation materializes six months after Israel claimed it had killed Deif in an air attack in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza, in July 2024.
Abu Obeida, Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson, announced in a televised statement that Deif was killed alongside his deputy Marwan Issa and other key military commanders including Ghazi Abu Tamaa, Raed Thabet, Rafei Salama, Ahmed Al-Ghandour, and Ayman Noufal.
“We mourn the martyrdom of our leader, Mohammed al-Deif, to our great people,” Abu Obeida said. “This is befitting of our leader Mohammed Deif, who exhausted the enemy for more than 30 years.”
The announcement came after careful verification and security procedures, according to the spokesperson. The group did not disclose specific details about their deaths but stated they “fell in battle against Israeli forces during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.”
The July attack that Israel claimed killed Deif targeted displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. Israeli warplanes bombed a tent encampment that had been declared a “safe zone,” killing 90 civilians, mostly women and children, and injuring over 300 others.
Deif, born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri in Khan Younis refugee camp in 1965, had been one of Israel’s most wanted figures since the early 1990s. He assumed leadership of the Qassam Brigades in 2002 and is credited with developing the group’s tunnel network and bomb-making expertise.
Read also: Hamas Sharply Opposes Trump’s Controversial Proposal to Relocate Gazans
On October 7, 2023, Deif made a rare audio appearance announcing the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, which he described as a response to Israeli raids at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. The operation resulted in the deaths of 1,139 Israelis, with 250 taken as captives to Gaza.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants for Deif in November 2024 “for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
Similar warrants were issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza.
Israel’s genocidal war has killed more than 47,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 111,000 since October 7, 2023. The assault has also left more than 11,000 people missing.
Despite the significant loss in leadership, Abu Obeida emphasized the group’s resilience: “The martyrdom of our great leaders, despite our immense loss, did not and will not weaken the resolve of our battalions and resistance.”
