Who is Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif that Israel tried to kill?

On Saturday, Israel killed at least 90 Palestinians in a series of strikes in what it claimed was a targeted attack on Hamas's military chief, Mohammed Deif.

While Israel said it was uncertain whether Deif had been killed, Hamas has he is "fine", adding that Israel's alleged targeting of  him was an attempt to justify an attack on civilians.

This is not the first time Israeli forces have tried to assassinate Deif. The New Arab looks into who Deif is and why Israel has long sought to kill him.

Who is Mohammed Deif?

Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, known as Mohammed Deif, is head of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas.

The name "deif" is Arabic for guest, and believed to reference his efforts to move locations and stay in different homes to avoid being targeted and killed by Israel.

He was born in 1965 in a refugee camp in Khan Younis, which was one of many set up for forcibly displaced Palestinians during the Nakba of 1948 that paved the way for the creation of Israel.

He joined Hamas in 1987, weeks after the group was created during the First Intifada. He studied at the Islamic University of Gaza where he showed academic excellence, but was arrested by Israeli forces in 1989 and spent around 16 months in detention. 

Deif is on the United States and European Union's terrorism lists and was among the list of Hamas officials included in the International Criminal Court arrest warrants.

The Hamas military leader is reportedly one of the "masterminds" behind the surprise Hamas led 7 October attack on Israel and was believed to have begun planning it in the lead-up to the 2021 Israeli violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, which occurred after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.

Multiple assassination attempts

Known as "the cat with nine lives" by the Israeli army, Deif has been at the top of Israel's "most wanted list" since 1995, with its military and security forces attempting to assassinate him at least seven times.

The Israeli military has attempted to kill Deif many times since the early 2000s, killing his family members, including his wife, three-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son, his brother, nephew and niece.

Before he became leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, he was almost killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2001. Then, from 2002 to 2006, the Israeli army struck him on many occasions but failed to kill the man also known as 'the Ghost'. However, a 2006 assassination attempt on Deif forced him to spend three months in hospital in Egypt for shrapnel lodged in his skull.

During the 2014 Gaza war, Israeli forces tried to strike him again in his family home in Gaza City, which Hamas denied had killed him and he was then confirmed to be alive by Israeli intelligence the following year.

In 2021, the army tried twice to assassinate the chief during the 2021 attacks.

Since 7 October, there have been another two attempts. An airstrike killed Deif's family members in October, and the recent strike in the Al-Mawasi neighbourhood in Khan Younis killed at least 90 people and wounded around 300 others.

While Hamas have not confirmed or denied any claims towards Deif's health, it is believed Deif has lost an eye and limb over the years due to Israel's continued efforts to kill him. However, footage shown by the Israeli military showed the chief using both hands and feet but walking with a limp and sometimes using a wheelchair.

Only four photos are believed to exist of Deif.