Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades officially mourns Chief of Staff Mohamed Deif: Abu Obeida - War on Gaza
Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida officially mourned the brigades Chief of Staff Mohamed Deif, saying he was killed while leading the battle against the Israeli army near Khan Younis last July.
In a video statement, Abu Obeida also mourned several other members of Qsaam's Military Council who were also killed during battles against the Israeli army.
أبو عبيدة: نزف إلى أبناء شعبنا العظيم استشهاد قائد هيئة أركان كتائب القسام محمد #الضيف#حرب_غزة #الأخبار pic.twitter.com/Qw3aEp1Phq — قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 30, 2025
"The Al-Qassam Brigades announce to our great people the martyrdom of a group of distinguished fighters and heroic commanders," Abu Obeida announced in a video statement.
Israel had previously claimed to have killed Deif and confirmed his death in early August. However, Hamas consistently denied these reports until Thursday's announcement.
Israel had accused Deif of being one of the key architects of the group's 7 October offensive, along with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed on 16 October 2024.
آخر ظهور للقائد العام لكتائب القسام محمد الضيف في مشاهد حصرية بثها برنامج #ما_خفي_أعظم على #الجزيرة، وهو يضع اللمسات الأخيرة على التحضيرات لهجوم السابع من أكتوبر، من داخل غرفة عمليات كتائب القسام#حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/8lu8SsUW5W — قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) January 30, 2025
Deif, known as 'the cat with nine lives' for surviving seven failed Israeli assassination attempts, was born in 1965 to a Palestinian refugee family from al-Qubeiba. He joined Hamas in 1987, just weeks after its formation during the First Intifada. He was arrested by Israeli forces in 1989 and imprisoned for 16 months without trial.
Deif, a top target on Israel's wanted list, appeared in only three known photographs: one from years ago, another with his face masked, and a third showing only his silhouette. Despite Israel's extensive intelligence operations, no recent image of him was ever obtained.
After being released in a prisoner exchange, Deif went on to establish the Al-Qassam Brigades in the 1990s and oversaw numerous operations against Israel.
Known as "the mastermind," he is believed to have organized the 2006 raid into Israel that killed two Israeli soldiers and captured Gilad Shalit. Hamas held Shalit captive for over five years until his release on 18 October 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
Deif also orchestrated the five-year effort to deceive Israeli intelligence services, Mossad and Shin Bet, about Shalit's location in Gaza.
Although he had close ties with the Palestinian Authority, he was briefly arrested by them in 2000, reportedly as part of an agreement with Israel, only to be released or escape from prison later that year.
Deif took full command of Hamas in 2002 after the assassination of Al-Qassam's commander-in-chief, Salah Shehadeh. However, for several years, the effective command was exercised by Deif's deputy, Ahmed Jabari, after Deif was severely wounded in an Israeli assassination attempt.
Short link:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Egypt Independent
25 minutes ago
- Egypt Independent
Iran's president thanks citizens for honoring those killed in Israeli strikes
Iran's president thanked citizens for turning out to mourn those killed in the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. 'I sincerely thank you, dear people,' Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X Saturday. 'With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of the homeland, and the voice of our unity reached the world,' he continued. He added that 'serving such a free-spirited nation is the honor of my life.' Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran today for the state funerals of top military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians killed by Israeli attacks earlier this month.
Egypt Independent
an hour ago
- Egypt Independent
Netanyahu says ‘opportunities have opened up' to free hostages, as Trump demands Gaza ‘deal'
Jerusalem CNN — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 'many opportunities have opened up' following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 'many opportunities have opened up' following Israel's military operations in Iran , including the possibility of bringing home the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Speaking at a Shin Bet security agency facility in southern Israel on Sunday, Netanyahu said, 'As you probably know, many opportunities have opened up now following this victory. Firstly, to rescue the hostages. Of course, we will also need to solve the Gaza issue, defeat Hamas, but I believe we will accomplish both missions.' Netanyahu's comments mark one of the first times he has clearly prioritized the return of the hostages over the defeat of Hamas – seemingly downplaying the latter. For months, Netanyahu has prioritized the defeat of Hamas in Gaza and talked about a 'total victory.' At the beginning of May, he called defeating Hamas the 'supreme objective,' not freeing the hostages. His comments Sunday mark a potentially significant change in how he has talked about Israel's goals in the war. He has repeatedly faced criticism from the families of hostages, opposition politicians and large segments of the Israeli public for not clearly placing the return of the hostages as Israel's primary goal. Reacting to his comments Sunday, the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters called for a single comprehensive deal to bring back all 50 hostages and end the fighting in Gaza. 'What is needed is release, not rescue. This difference of one word could mean the difference between salvation and loss for the hostages,' the forum said in a statement. Elsewhere in his speech, Netanyahu also said 'wider regional opportunities are opening up,' an apparent reference to efforts to expand the Abraham Accords that saw Israel normalize relations with several Gulf states. Pressure builds for ceasefire The comments by Netanyahu come amid increasing pressure on Israel from US President Donald Trump to make a ceasefire deal. Since the end of the conflict with Iran, negotiators have been pushing to restart stalled negotiations with Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu held a high-level meeting on Gaza Sunday evening, according to two Israeli sources, meeting with some of his closest advisers, including Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Defense Minister Israel Katz and others, to discuss the latest on Israel's military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Dermer is scheduled to hold meetings with the Trump administration in Washington, DC, on Monday. Trump has made clear his desire to secure a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza and bring home the 50 hostages held by Hamas, at least 20 of whom are still alive. In a post on social media early Sunday morning, Trump pushed Israel to 'MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!' Trump had earlier thrown his support behind Netanyahu, calling his ongoing trial on corruption charges a 'POLITICAL WITCH HUNT' – the second time the president had called for an end to the prosecution of the long-time Israeli leader. With the conclusion of the operation in Iran – and Trump's sudden foray into Israel's legal system – Netanyahu has requested to postpone his upcoming trial sessions this week. After twice rejecting the requests, the court granted the delay following a confidential session in which the judge said there had been a change to the 'evidentiary structure' compared to the previous requests. A proposal for peace, but killings continue The latest proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. During this period, the two sides would enter negotiations for a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would end the war, which is a key demand from Hamas as part of any deal. Hamas has sought stronger guarantees around a permanent ceasefire. Until now, Israel had refused to agree to a permanent end to the conflict as it pursued its war goals of destroying Hamas' ability to govern and the disarmament of Gaza. But Israel's success in its military operations against Iran have potentially created a new window to pursue negotiations, an opportunity on which negotiators are trying to capitalize. Despite the Israeli military's expanding operations and a fresh evacuation order for parts of northern Gaza on Sunday, a security source told CNN that the military now recommends pursuing a diplomatic path in Gaza after more than 20 months of fighting and the elimination of much of Hamas' senior leadership. More than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes and military operations since the beginning of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between militants and civilians. That number includes more than 17,000 children, the ministry said. On Sunday, Israeli strikes on Jabalya al-Balad and Jabalya Al-Nazaleh killed at least 15 people, according to emergency workers in Gaza. Fares Afana, head of Northen Gaza emergency services, told CNN that 10 to 15 people remained under the rubble as of Sunday evening. One of the houses that was hit was 'full of displaced Palestinians, the majority of which were children,' Afana said.
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt ready to host Gaza reconstruction conference once ceasefire is reached: FM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty affirmed that Egypt is ready to host the International Conference on Early Recovery and Reconstruction in Gaza once a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is reached. FM Abdelatty said this during a phone call late on Sunday with Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian. The conference, first announced in March, is to be hosted by Egypt in coordination with Palestine and the United Nations. In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Abdelatty and Aghabekian discussed Egypt's intensive efforts, in coordination with Qatar and the US, to restore a ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. In May, Palestinians' attempts to reach food aid from the Israeli-American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 500 civilians. Gaza's Health Ministry also reported that hundreds more were injured, and critical food shortages continue across the territory. Moreover, Abdelatty strongly condemned Israel's arrogance, weaponizing of starvation, and collective punishment used against the Palestinians, describing that as blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law. He also reaffirmed Egypt's complete rejection of the brutal Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Egypt's top diplomat reiterated Cairo's firm stance against the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land and Israeli settlers' repeated assaults on innocent civilians. He also stressed that Egypt will steadfastly continue to support the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights, defending their cause. Furthermore, Abdelatty highlighted Egypt's ongoing diplomatic efforts to advance the two-state solution, demanding an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also reaffirmed Palestinians' right to self-determination, underlining Egypt's push for a broader international recognition of Palestine. For her part, Aghabekian praised Egypt's consistent support for Palestine and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's efforts to end the Palestinians' suffering and achieve a just, comprehensive solution. On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least 14 Palestinians, including three children, in Gaza, according to the territory's civil defence agency. On the same day, US President Donald Trump called for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza. 'MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA,' he urged negotiators, as talks resumed over the bloody 20-month war that has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
