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2 min
A man in the shadows, Mohammed Deïf is a Hamas military leader who has led operations against Israel for twenty years. He thought of the attacks on Saturday October 7.
One of the only photos of Mohammed Deïf dates from 1989, when he was 24 years old. The brutality of Hamas’ attacks against Israel on Saturday October 7 was his choice. He is the mastermind of Hamas’s military strategy and lives reclusive in Gaza. For twenty years, Mohammed Deïf has led operations. In 2003, he was already living in hiding. In 2002, his car was bombed, in 2014 his apartment was bombed.
A new strategy targeting civilians
The Hamas military leader escaped seven or eight attacks. “He was seriously injured in several assassination attempts by the Israelis (…) reports indicate that he lost an eye and at least one of his limbs”, explains Jacob Eriksson, researcher at the University of York (United Kingdom). In the 1990s, bus bombs were planted in Israel and rocket attacks took place from Gaza. These attacks were attributed to Mohammed Deïf. In targeting civilians, Hamas’ strategy appears to be to frighten by all means.
Among our sources
Filming of our editorial staff
Agency images
INA archives
Jacob Eriksson
Mark Hecker
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