Mohammed Deif

Mohammed Deif مُحَمَّدٌ ٱلضَّيْفُ
Birth name	Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri
Nickname	Abu Khaled (kunya) The mastermind (Palestinian nickname)[source?] The cat with nine lives (Israeli nickname)[source?]
Born	1965 (age 59–60) Khan Yunis refugee camp, Gaza Strip (under Egyptian rule)
Allegiance	Hamas
Years of service	1987–present
Rank	Chief of Staff (2002–present)
Commands held	Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades
Battles/wars	First Intifada Second Intifada Gaza–Israel conflict 2012 Gaza War 2014 Gaza War 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis 2023 Israel–Hamas war 2023 Hamas attack on Israel 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip

Palestinian nationalism Factions and leaders
Yassin + Haniyeh Rantisi Mashal Sinwar Deif Deif Mahmoud + Faiq Mabhouh Habash Abbas Hawatmeh Nakhalah
Map: Birthplaces or family origins Details below: p. parents from, b. born in, d. death.
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Also: President of the Palestinian National Authority PLO political factions Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Palestinian People's Party (PPP) Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) Arab Liberation Front (ALF) Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA) Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF) Palestinian Arab Front (PAF) As-Sa'iqa Related groups Palestinian National Initiative Leader Mustafa Barghouti
Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) Founders Yasser Arafat p. Gaza City b. Cairo d. 2004 in Paris Khaled Yashruti Salah Khalaf Khalil al-Wazir Chairman Mahmoud Abbas b. Safed (President of the Palestinian Authority) Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub Vice Chairman Mahmoud Aloul
Fatah splinter groups Al-Mustaqbal (electoral list) Marwan Barghouti Prisoner of Israel see also: Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis Palestinian Mujahideen Movement Militant wing Mujahideen Brigades Former militant wings of Fatah Raed Al-Karmi Founder of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Naif Abu-Sharah Local commander in Nablus Fadi Kafisha Former head of the Tanzim in Nablus Sirhan Sirhan Zakaria Zubeidi Local commander in Jenin see also Tali Fahima Samih Madhoun d. killed by EQB Ibrahim al-Nabulsi see also: Lions' Den militant group
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Secretary General George Habash b. Lydda Abu Ali Mustafa Birth name: "Mustafa Ali Zabri" b. 1938 Arraba, Jenin Jenin See also: 17 October 2001 Ahmad Sa'adat Prisoners of Israel since 2006 see also: Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis Deputy Secretary General Jamil Mezher Other key figures Ghassan Kanafani Schisms and splinter groups PFLP-GC
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Split from the PFLP in 1969. Founder and current leader Nayef Hawatmeh b. 1938 As-Salt Militant wing National Resistance Brigades Spokesperson: Abu Khaled
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah b. Khan Yunis Militant wing Saraya Al-Quds
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) List of leaders Chairman of Hamas Shura Council (1987‑2004) Ahmed Yassin b. Al-Jura, d. 2004 Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi b. Yibna, d. 2004 Chairman of Hamas Polit Bureau Ismail Haniyeh p. Al-Jura, b. Al-Shati, d. 2024 Khaled Mashal b. Silwad Leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar p. Al‑Majal, b. Khan Yunis Head of International relations Basem Naim b. Beit Hanoun Police and Disaster Management Faiq Al-Mabhouh p. Bayt Tima, d. 2024 Minister for Women's Affairs Jamila al-Shanti b. Jabalia, d. 2023, m. Widow of Rantisi Militant wing Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades Leader Mohammed Deif Birth name: Mohammed Al-Masri p. Kawkaba (near Kokhav Michael) and Al‑Qubayba, b. Khan Yunis d. Failed attempt in 2014 d. Unconfirmed: 2024) Related topics Hamas government in the Gaza Strip Hamas in Lebanon All-Palestine Government in Gaza Ashkelon incorporation into Israel
Historical figures Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Namesake of the Qassam Brigades Musa Alami early Palestinian nationalist b. 1897 in Jerusalem Yaqub al-Ghusayn b. 1899 in Ramla George Antonius b. 1891 Deir al-Qamar al-Husayni family Jamal al-Husayni Musa al-Husayni
Related topics Ideologies Palestinian nationalism Islamism in the Gaza Strip Islamic nationalism § Hamas Present day Palestinian political parties Elections in Palestine Palestinian political violence Hamas government in the Gaza Strip Palestinian Legislative Council State of Palestine Occupied Palestinian Territories List of Palestinians 1967 to 1995 Palestinian fedayeen 1948 to 1967 All-Palestine Government Gaza Protectorate Jordanian annexation of the West Bank Palestinian National Council 1918 to 1948 Mandatory Palestine Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine Army of the Holy War Concepts Origin of the Palestinians
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Mohammed Deif (Arabic: مُحَمَّدٌ ٱلضَّيْفُ) is the head of staff in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement.

He was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp inside the Gaza Strip that was set up by Israel after the 1948 Palestine War.^[1][2]

He joined the Hamas movement in 1987,^[3][4] and went by the alias Mohammed Deif, which means guest in the Arabic language, possibly referring to how he would live like a nomad to not be targeted by the government of Israel.

1. ↑ Messing, Dafna (2021-05-11). "Who are you, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, aka Muhammed Deif?". Alma Research and Education Center. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
2. ↑ Nakhoul, Samia; Bassam, Laila (2023-10-11). "Who is Mohammed Deif, the Hamas commander behind the attack on Israel?". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
3. ↑ "Who Is Mohammed Deif? Hamas' Elusive Commander Remains A Mystery Figure". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
4. ↑ "Hamas' deadly 'phantom': the man behind the attacks". Australian Financial Review. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2023-11-07.