Hamas confirms death of military commander Mohammed Deif

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Hamas has confirmed the death of its top military commander, Mohammed Deif, months after Israel claimed to have killed him in an airstrike. The announcement was made by Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, on Thursday.

Deif, a key figure in Hamas for over three decades, was reported to have orchestrated multiple attacks against Israel and played a crucial role in the development of the group’s tunnel network and bomb-making operations.

He had led the Qassam Brigades for more than 20 years and was one of its original founders in the 1990s.

In July, the Israeli military stated it had killed Deif in an air attack, but Hamas had not confirmed his death until now. Abu Obeida described his passing as “befitting,” saying, “How, by God, could Mohammed Deif be mentioned in history without the title ‘martyr’ and without the medal of martyrdom?”

On October 7, 2023, Deif issued a rare voice recording announcing the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, linking the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel to Israeli raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Deif for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC also issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Hamas also confirmed the deaths of deputy military commander Marwan Issa, along with several other senior figures, including Ghazi Abu Tamaa, commander of weapons and combat services; Raed Thabet, commander of manpower and head of the supplies unit; and Rafei Salama, commander of the Khan Younis Brigade.

Israel claimed to have killed Issa in March, though Hamas had previously denied confirming his death.