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Mohammed Deif: Al-Qassam Brigades Leader, Phantom who Survived Multiple Close Calls

A presumed image of Mohammed Deif released by Israel last year
A presumed image of Mohammed Deif released by Israel last year
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Mohammed Deif: Al-Qassam Brigades Leader, Phantom who Survived Multiple Close Calls

A presumed image of Mohammed Deif released by Israel last year
A presumed image of Mohammed Deif released by Israel last year

Before the current war in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, leader of Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, was known only to his family and a few within Hamas.

His true appearance remained a mystery until Israel released his image late last year, marking it as the fourth depiction. Previous images ranged from a young man to a masked figure and a silhouette.

The latest shows him calmly alongside someone with gray hair, a light beard, and one eye.

Deif maintained a high level of secrecy in all his movements. Even when his mother passed away in January 2011, it was unclear if he attended her funeral.

There were rumors he did, unrecognized, while others claimed he never attended due to security concerns. Some even suggested he disguised himself as an elderly man to bid his mother farewell before disappearing.

Deif appears not to use modern technology and is not fond of making public appearances. Rarely does he release voice messages, such as when he announced the start of new battles with Israel, including the Oct.7 Al-Aqsa Flood attacks.

Even during the current war, Israel’s pursuit of Deif in every corner of Gaza has proven elusive until now, with the targeting in Khan Younis marking the first revealed attempt after over nine months of conflict.

In fact, Israel has sought Deif since the mid-1990s. Shimon Peres, then Prime Minister in 1996, requested Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to arrest him, only for Arafat to express surprise at the name, seemingly unaware of him.

Peres later admitted discovering Arafat protected, hid, and lied about him.

Profile Overview

Real Name: Mohammad Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, known as Deif. Born in 1965 to a Palestinian refugee family from Al-Qubeiba, settled in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza.

Deif grew up in poverty, briefly leaving school to help support his family by working with his father in textiles and later starting a small poultry farm. He also worked as a driver before becoming a target of Israeli pursuit.

Known for his friendly demeanor and interest in theater, Deif joined Hamas in late 1987 through mosque connections. He completed his studies at the Islamic University of Gaza in 1988, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Science.

Arrested by Israel in 1989 without trial, he spent 16 months in prison accused of involvement in Hamas’ military wing. Upon release, he co-founded the Al-Qassam Brigades and played a significant role in operations against Israel throughout the 1990s.

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Syrians Face Horror, Fearing Loved Ones May Be in Mass Graves

People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP
People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP
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Syrians Face Horror, Fearing Loved Ones May Be in Mass Graves

People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP
People search for human remains at a trench believed to be used as a mass grave on the outskirts of Damascus - AFP

After losing hope of finding his two brothers among those freed from Syrian jails, Ziad Alaywi was filled with dread, knowing there was only one place they were likely to be: a mass grave.

"We want to know where our children are, our brothers," said the 55-year-old standing by a deep trench near Najha, southeast of Damascus.

"Were they killed? Are they buried here?" he asked, pointing to the ditch, one of several believed to hold the bodies of prisoners tortured to death.

International organizations have called these acts "crimes against humanity".

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8 and the takeover by an Islamist-led opposition alliance, families across Syria have been searching for their loved ones.

"I've looked for my brothers in all the prisons," said the driver from the Damascus suburbs, whose siblings and four cousins were arrested over a decade ago.

"I've searched all the documents that might give me a clue to their location," he added, but it was all in vain.

Residents say there are at least three other similar sites, where diggers were frequently seen working in areas once off-limits under the former government.

- 'Peace of mind' -

The dirt at the pit where Alaywi stands looks loose, freshly dug. Children run and play nearby.

If the site was investigated, "it would allow many people to have peace of mind and stop hoping for the return of a son who will never return", he said.

"It's not just one, two, or three people who are being sought. It's thousands."

He called on international forensic investigators to "open these mass graves so we can finally know where our children are."

Many Syrians who spoke to AFP in recent days expressed disappointment at not finding their loved ones in the prisons opened after the takeover by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

A few kilometres (miles) from Najha, a team of about 10 people, most in white overalls, was transferring small white bags into larger black ones with numbers.

Syrian Civil Defense teams have received numerous calls from people claiming to have seen cars dumping bags by the roadside at night. The bags were later found to contain bones.

"Since the fall of the regime, we've received over 100 calls about mass graves. People believe every military site has one," said civil defence official Omar al-Salmo.

- Safeguard evidence -

The claim isn't without reason, said Salmo, considering "the few people who've left prisons and the exponential number of missing people."

There are no official figures on how many detainees have been released from Syrian jails in the past 10 days, but estimates fall far short of the number missing since 2011.

In 2022, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor estimated that more than 100,000 people had died in prison, mostly due to torture, since the war began.

"We're doing our best with our modest expertise," said Salmo. His team is collecting bone samples for DNA tests.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch urged the new Syrian authorities to "secure, collect and safeguard evidence, including from mass grave sites and government records... that will be vital in future criminal trials".

The rights group also called for cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, which could "provide critical expertise" to help safeguard the records and clarify the fate of missing people.

Days after Assad's fall, HRW teams visiting Damascus's Tadamun district, the site of a massacre in April 2013, found "scores of human remains".

In Daraa province, Mohammad Khaled regained control of his farm in Izraa, seized for years by military intelligence.

"I noticed that the ground was uneven," said Khaled.

"We were surprised to discover a body, then another," he said. In just one day, he and others including a forensic doctor exhumed a total of 22 bodies.