Jerusalem, Jan 30 (EFE).- Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida confirmed on Thursday the death of Mohammed Deif, the former head of Hamas’ military wing, six months after the Israel Defense Forces said it had killed him in a raid on the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Our martyred leaders achieved their goal of martyrdom for the love of God, which is the ultimate goal of their wishes as a blessed end to their lives full of work for the love of God, then for the sake of their freedom, their sanctities and their land,” Ubaida said in a video released by Hamas.
Deif, considered the Islamist group’s second in command in the enclave after Yahya Sinwar, who was also killed in an Israeli operation in Rafah in 2024, had been on Israel’s most wanted list since the 1990s, accused of planning and carrying out numerous “terrorist” attacks.
On Jul. 13, the IDF announced in a statement that it had killed Deif and his right-hand, Rafa Salama, in a bombing raid on the Mawasi humanitarian zone.
The Israeli attack killed 90 Palestinians and wounded more than 300, according to Palestinian officials.
“This is the legacy of our leader Deif, who exhausted the enemy for more than 30 years. How could Mohamed Deif be ed in history without the title of the martyr and the honor of martyrdom in the way of Allah,” said spokesman Ubaida.
The militant group of Hamas had previously denied Deif’s death. However, in the video, Ubaida also confirmed the death of Marwan Issa, the deputy chief of staff of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and three other fighters from different brigades.
“They were killed in the greatest battle our people have ever known in their history, for the sake of the holiest cause on earth. They won when they inspired our people,” Ubaida stressed.
Along with Yahya Sinwar, Israel considered Mohammed Deif to be the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 kidnapped. EFE
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