On October 26, 19 days after the Oct 7 massacre, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, channeling his inner Brian Mills, had vowed that “all Hamas members are dead men walking”.Before launching a massive grand incursion, head vowed that the two main goals of the war were to eliminate Hamas’ “military and governance capabilities and to do everything possible to get our captives home”.
He had said: “Israel is in the midst of a fight for our existence. All Hamas members are dead men walking — above and below ground, inside and outside Gaza.” Recent news reports show that Israel, much like they did after the Munich massacre with Operation Wrath of God, is hellbent on keeping its promise.
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On Thursday, the Israeli Defence Forces said it had confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing in an airstrike carried out in Gaza on July 13 and said that “following an intelligence assessment, it can confirm that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike.” Earlier, another airstrike in Tehran, allegedly carried out by Israel, killed Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Israel has not commented on its involvement on the Tehran strike. A couple of days earlier Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s seniormost military commander was killed in a strike in Beirut. Israeli officials claim that the militant commander was responsible for the deaths of 12 children and teens playing football in a weekend rocket attack on Golan Heights, as well as the death of numerous other civilians.
Who was Mohammad Deif?
Deif was killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza on July 13. However, there was no immediate confirmation from the Palestinian group. “We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated,” the Israeli military stated on Thursday. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the event as “a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza.”
Gallant further stated, “Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated. Israel’s defense establishment will pursue Hamas terrorists – both the planners and the perpetrators of the 07.10 massacre. We will not rest until this mission is accomplished,” in a post on X.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed that Hamas’s collapse was “closer than ever” following Deif’s killing. He urged persistence, saying, “We must not stop a moment before victory,” and added that the Israeli military would continue to target the group’s leaders until “we destroy them all.”
First Time On Cam: Israel Bombards Hamas Military Chief’s Compound In Gaza | ‘Deif Confirmed Dead’
On October 7, the notoriously camera-shy Mohammed Deif had appeared in a recorded video announcing the beginning of Operation Al Aqsa Storm.
Born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri in 1965 in the Khan Younis Refugee Camp in Gaza, was a highly secretive and influential figure within Hamas. He joined the organization during the First Intifada in 1987 and played a crucial role in founding its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Deif has led the Qassam Brigades for over 20 years, orchestrating numerous attacks against Israel, including high-profile suicide bombings in the 1990s and kidnappings of Israeli soldiers.
Deif was known for his elusiveness, having survived multiple assassination attempts by Israeli forces, though he has suffered severe injuries, including the loss of an eye and an arm, and is partially paralyzed. Despite these injuries, Deif continues to command Hamas’s military operations and is seen as a “living martyr” by many of his followers.
Under his leadership, the Qassam Brigades have developed sophisticated military tactics, including a network of tunnels and the use of rockets. Deif is also believed to have been a key planner of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in a significant escalation of the conflict. This attack led to a massive Israeli military response, with both Deif and Hamas’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, identified as the chief architects.
Throughout his life, Deif has kept a low profile, with few public appearances or photographs, contributing to his mystique and survival. His personal life has been marked by tragedy, including the loss of his wife and two children in an Israeli airstrike in 2014. Deif remains a symbol of resistance for many Palestinians, while being one of Israel’s most wanted figures, listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Department of State.
Who was Ismail Haniyeh?
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was reportedly assassinated in Tehran on July 31, 2024, during a visit for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. The assassination, believed to be carried out by Israel, has led to widespread international condemnation. Countries like Indonesia and Turkey have criticized the act, fearing it could escalate tensions in the region and derail ongoing cease-fire negotiations.
Haniyeh was leading the political battle for power in Palestine for Hamas. In an answer given to Reuters in 2012, Haniyeh said that Hamas’ resistance continues in all forms- political, military, diplomatic and popular resistance. In 1994, Haniyeh suggested that Hamas form a political party that would enable the group to “deal with emerging development.”
Haniyeh was killed at around 2 am local time (22:30 GMT) on Wednesday by an “airborne guided projectile,” with his bodyguard also losing his life in the attack. The assassination took place on the first day of Iranian President Masaoud Pezeshkian’s term. Haniyeh had travelled to Tehran for Pezeshkian’s inauguration the previous day.
Haniyeh was last seen attending the inauguration, where the Iranian president reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the cause of Palestinian freedom, and Haniyeh expressed his gratitude for Iran’s support.
The strike occurred at “the special residences for war veterans in north Tehran,” where Haniyeh was staying. Analysts believe that the timing and location were deliberately chosen to embarrass Tehran.
Haniyeh was widely recognized as the political leader of Hamas and had been a significant figure within the movement for over two decades. In 2006, at the age of 44, he led Hamas to victory in the legislative elections, defeating the Fatah movement, which had held power for more than a decade. However, he was dismissed from his position after Western countries refused to cooperate with Hamas. In 2017, Haniyeh was elected as the head of Hamas’s political bureau, and in 2018, the U.S. Department of State designated him as a “terrorist.”
In 2019, after stepping down as the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Haniyeh left the enclave and began living abroad, leading the group’s diplomatic efforts as its political chief. On April 10, 2024, three of his children—Hazem, Amir, and Mohammad—along with several of his grandchildren, were killed in Gaza amid ongoing conflict. Haniyeh had been residing in Qatar for the past several years.
Who was Fuad Shukr?
Fuad Shukr was a senior Hezbollah official and one of the founding members of the group’s military wing. Israeli military officials identified Shukr as a close adviser to Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah. He was believed to be instrumental in acquiring advanced weapons for the group, including precision-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs. Shukr was also a close associate of Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s former military commander who was assassinated by Israel in Damascus in 2008. Following Mughniyeh’s death, Shukr’s influence within the group grew.
Recently, Shukr was targeted by Israel due to his alleged involvement in a missile strike that killed 12 children playing football in Majdal Shams, a village in the occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah denied responsibility for the strike, but it became a contentious issue in Israeli politics, especially after Israeli ministers were verbally assaulted by grieving villagers during a visit to the funerals of the victims.
1. Ibrahim Biari –
Killed in an airstrike that targeted a crowded area in northern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of Biari and at least 126 civilians.
2. Razi Mousavi
– A senior IRGC general, Mousavi was killed in an airstrike on his residence in a suburb of southern Damascus.
3. Saleh al-Arouri
– A senior Hamas leader, al-Arouri was killed in a missile strike on a Hamas office in southern Beirut.
4. Marwan Issa –
The deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, Issa was killed in an airstrike on a tunnel complex in central Gaza.
5. Mohammad Reza Zahedi –
An IRGC officer commanding the al-Quds force in Syria and Lebanon, Zahedi was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.