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Deif family killings
Part of 2014 Gaza War
Location Gaza Strip, Palestine (the apartment where Mohammed Deif's wife and children lived)
Date19 August 2014 (2014-08-19)
TargetMohammed Deif (leader of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades)
Deaths6+[1]
Victims6, including Widad Asfura (the wife of Mohammed Deif) and two of their children
Perpetrators Israel Defense Forces
AccusedAlleged informant: Mahmoud Ishtiwi[a][2]

On 19 August 2014, the Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike at the home of Mohammed Deif, leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades. Deif was unharmed, but his wife, Widad Asfura, and two of their children were killed.

Background

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Deif, born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, joined Hamas in 1987, weeks after its establishment during the First Intifada.[3][4] He was arrested by Israeli authorities in 1989 for his involvement with the organization.[5] After 16 months of detention, he was released in a prisoner exchange. Soon after his release, he helped establish the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.[4][6] Deif became the head of the Qassam Brigades after Israel assassinated Salah Shehade in July 2002.[7] Between July 2006 and November 2012, effective command was exercised by Deif's deputy, Ahmed Jabari, after Deif was seriously wounded in an Israeli assassination attempt.[8][9]

Mohammed Deif married Widad Asfura (Arabic: وداد عصفورة, romanized: Widad Asfoura),[10][11] sometimes referred to as Widad Deif,[12] in 2007[13] or 2011. Widad was a widow (her previous husband had been a Qassami fighter who was killed). She and Deif had four children together,[14] and Deif has two other sons, Bahaa (Arabic: بهاء) and Khaled (Arabic: خالد).[15] Widad also had two sons from her late husband.[16]

Air strike

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On 19 August 2014,[1] Israel attempted to assassinate Deif in an airstrike on his house in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City.[17][18] The strike on the family home killed his 27-year old wife (Widad Asfoura)[19] and two of their children, a 3-year-old daughter (Arabic: سارة محمد الضيف, romanized: Sarah Mohammed Al-Deif)[b][20] and 7-month-old son (referred to at the funeral as "Ali Deif" Arabic: علي الضيف),[21] and three other members of the household.[1] The strike also killed a mother and her two teenage sons from the Al Dalu family.[22] The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights claimed it was the same house previously destroyed in 2012 which reportedly killed multiple members of the Al Dalu family.[23]

The strike, however, did not kill Mohammed Deif. Israeli intelligence concluded in April 2015 that Deif had survived the assassination attempt, the fifth Israeli attempt to kill him.[24]

On the same day, the IDF assassinated 3 other leaders: Muhammad Abu Shamala [ar] (aged 41), Raed al Atar (aged 40), and Muhammad Barhoum (aged 45).[25]

Funeral and public reaction in Gaza

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Several thousand people attended the funeral of Deif's wife and son in Gaza, angrily demanding revenge against Israel and firing shots into the air. The bodies of Widad and Ali were taken from the wife’s family home to a mosque in Jabaliya refugee camp for prayers, then laid to rest in the sand of a cemetery.[21]

Deif’s daughter, Arabic: سارة محمد الضيف, romanized: Sarah Mohammed Al-Deif,[20] was not buried on the same day as her brother because her body was not recovered from the rubble until approximately midday on Thursday, the day after her brother's funeral, and two days after the air strike.[18][20][23]

A letter describing the personal lives of Deif and his wife was published in Palestinian media.[26] Israeli papers reported that Widad's mother did not regret approving of the marriage and had said she would do the same again.[19]

Israeli criticism of the attempted assassination

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In addition to the rage in Gaza, some within Israel also criticised the strike. Gideon Levy, in his opinion piece "What Would Israel Do in Hamas' Shoes?" for Haaretz, asked how Israel would react if Hamas killed the wife and children of one of Israel's leaders.[27] Levy also pointed out that even if the assassination had been successful, based on past successful strikes on Ahmad Yassin and others, Deif would have been replaced, and by someone more extreme.[27]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Also spelled Mahmoud Eshtewi.
  2. ^ Sometimes referred to as Sarah Mohamed Diab Al-Masry.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Sarah Mohamed Deeb Al Masry | Children in Conflict". wanachildreninconflict.org. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  2. ^ Levi, Elior (7 February 2016). "Hamas executes member who may have betrayed Deif's location". Ynetnews. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Who Is Mohammed Deif? Hamas' Elusive Commander Remains A Mystery Figure". Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b Pelham, Nicolas (26 October 2023). "Hamas' deadly 'phantom': the man behind the attacks". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Lubell, Maayan (20 August 2014). "Has Hamas military chief, Mohammed Deif, escaped death again?". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  6. ^ Ziboun, Kifah (28 August 2014). "From the Spotlight to the Shadows". Asharq Al-Awsat. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  7. ^ Asser, Martin (26 September 2002). "Profile: Hamas commander Mohammed Deif". BBC News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  8. ^ "Who is Mohammed Deif, the elusive Hamas commander behind the attack on Israel?". cnbctv18.com. 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  9. ^ Pelham, Nicolas (20 October 2023). "Hamas's deadly "phantom": the man behind the attacks". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Funeral of Al-Daif's wife and child... and Hamas threatens the occupation to pay the price". The New Arab (in Arabic). 20 August 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  11. ^ "אלפים בהלווית אשתו ובנו של דף: "לנקום בישראל"". Mako (in Hebrew). 20 August 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2024. Quote in Hebrew: וידאד עספורה דף, אשתו בת ה-27 של מפקד חמאס, ועלי מוחמד דף, בנו בן ה-7, נהרגו בהפצצת צה"ל יחד עם עוד ארבעה בני אדם ובהם אשתו ובנו של אחמד דאלו - בעל הבית שהותקף ובכיר בזרוע הצבאית של חמאס., lit. 'Widad Asfora, the 27-year-old wife of a Hamas commander, and Ali Muhammad Deif, their 7-year-old son [sic], were killed in an IDF bombing along with four other people, including the wife and son of Ahmed Dalou - the owner of the house that was attacked and a senior in the arm the military of Hamas.'
  12. ^ "Widad Al-Deif... the wife of the commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades". Arab 21 (in Arabic). 21 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  13. ^ Abu El Oun, Sakher (20 August 2014). "Thousands mourn slain wife, baby of Hamas commander". GMA News Online. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  14. ^ Kershner, Isabel; Akram, Fares (20 August 2014). "After Strike on Family, Fate of Hamas Commander Is Unknown". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Gaza: a rare appearance of the children of the leader of the "Qassam", Mohammed Deif غزة...ظهور نادر لأطفال قائد "القسام" محمد الضيف". www.aa.com.tr (in Arabic). 7 February 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  16. ^ https://vinnews.com/2014/08/20/northern-gaza-strip-thousands-shout-revenge-as-they-mourn-slain-wife-baby-of-hamas-commander/
  17. ^ "Gaza war rages on, Hamas says Israel tried to kill its military chief". Reuters. 20 August 2014.[dead link‍]
  18. ^ a b "Body of Deif's daughter, 3, pulled from Gaza rubble". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  19. ^ a b "Terror chief Deif's mother-in-law offers him her other daughters". Times of Israel. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2024. "Should Deif request the hand of any of my other daughters, I will happily consent and even if she, too, is martyred I will consent to the third. It is an honor to have Deif a husband to any of my daughters and be a father to their children." - Zeian Asfura, (mother of Widad Deif)
  20. ^ a b c "The body of the child Sarah Al-Deif was recovered from under the rubble". palinfo.com (in Arabic). 21 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Gaza: Thousand mourn death of Hamas chief's wife, baby son". Firstpost. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  22. ^ Rights, Al Mezan Center for Human (26 June 2015). "Al Dalu family, Gaza City". Al Mezan Center for Human Rights. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Israel Forces Continue Their Offensive on Gaza for 47th Consecutive Day; 20 Palestinians, 16 of Whom Are Civilians, Including 6 Children, Killed and 49 Others, Including 11 Children and 7 Women Wounded; Victims Include 5 Civilians, Including Child, Who We". Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  24. ^ 'Hamas's chief of staff alive and active, Israel confirms', The Times of Israel, 29 April 2015.
  25. ^ "Killing of three senior military leaders deals a severe Israeli blow to Hamas". Times of Israel (Arabic edition). 22 August 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Love in the time of Gaza: The story of Mohamed Al-Deif and his late wife Widad Asfoura". www.middleeastmonitor.com. 3 September 2014.
  27. ^ a b Levy, Gideon (2014). "What Would Israel Do in Hamas' Shoes?". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
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