The Israeli military has tried to kill Hamas’s military commander Mohammed Deif at least twice in the past week and a half since Operation Guardian of the Walls began.
While it’s not known when the strikes took place, military sources said that he got away at the last minute both times.
One of the primary goals of the IDF’s military operation in Gaza is to kill top Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders.
Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, has been wanted by Israel for over 25 years for his involvement in deadly terror attacks against Israeli citizens.
He was also the target of several attempts on his life by Israeli security services that have left him without an eye, one arm and both legs. The first attempt took place in 2001, the second in 2002, 2003, 2006 and in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. The last attempt killed his wife and one of his children and while it was initially thought that he had also been killed, he survived that attempt as well.
Considered a skilled commander, Deif released a rare statement in early May warning Israel against evicting Palestinian families from Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and to remove police from the al-Aqsa mosque.
“I salute our steadfast Palestinians at Sheikh Jarrah in occupied Jerusalem. The resistance leadership and al-Qassam are watching closely what is happening in the neighborhood,” Deif was quoted as saying.
He warned that should Israel not listen, Hamas would fire rockets towards Jerusalem. A barrage of seven rockets were later fired towards Jerusalem, setting off this latest round of violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
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On Sunday, the head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Toledano said in an interview to Channel 12 news that both he as well as Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, are targets for Israeli strikes.
“Muhammad Deif and Yahya Sinwar, were, and remain, in Israel’s sights,” he said.
Mohammed Deif (Reuters)Last Monday evening, on Jerusalem Day, Deif followed through, ordering Hamas forces to fire a volley of rockets toward Jerusalem, sparking the latest round of violence.
Israel says that it has killed over 160 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists during the 10 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip. Over 3,000 rockets have been fired into Israel since the fighting began, claiming the lives of 10 Israelis.
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