Nine months after the start of the ground operation in Gaza, the IDF explains in a statement: “half of the leaders of the military wing of Hamas have been eliminated and approximately 14,000 elements eliminated or arrested”.
And again we read: “The IDF land, air and naval forces have been operating in the Gaza Strip for more than 263 days to achieve the objectives of the war. The forces eliminated and arrested approximately 14,000 Hamas elements. Among the men eliminated there are six brigade commanders, over 20 battalion commanders and around 150 company commanders.”
According to the IDF: “As a result of intelligence work, half the leadership of Hamas’ military wing has been eliminated up to this stage of the war through a series of attacks and eliminations. The IDF continues its mission to prosecute top leaders of the Hamas organization as part of the goal of dismantling the organization’s capabilities.”
Hit approximately 37,000 air targets within the Gaza Strip and more than 25,000 infrastructure and launch sites of Hamas and affiliated militias. the IDF explains that: “The Southern Command fire control center, in collaboration with the Israeli Air Force, directs air strikes against sites from which rockets have been fired at Israel and security forces in the Gaza Strip.”
What remains for the IDF and for which it attaches photos and videos is the fact that there are Hamas centers throughout the Gaza Strip, “including hospitals, schools and humanitarian shelters”. “These areas are cynically exploited by Hamas which attempts to use them as hideouts and bases for attacks against Israel.” “Attacks against these infrastructures are conducted in accordance with international law, with the aim of preventing the restoration of the capabilities of Hamas organizations.”
Despite the military’s actions, Israeli media reports that, for the first time since October 7, a majority of the Israeli public has expressed distrust in high-level military leadership, with more than 55 percent of Israelis holding this opinion.
Hamas accounts also did not confirm Deif’s death. “A slight smile after the news of the liquidation of Muhammad Deif in Gaza by Israel. Isn’t this the same Deif who has already been declared dead several times, but he never died? Hamas confidently stated that Deif feels well.
Deif has been continuously killed since 2000. “Deif,” from the Arabic for “guest,” is constantly moving to different locations to avoid the Israeli military machine.
In 2001 the first assassination attempt before Deif became head of the Al-Qassam Brigades. Israel attempted to kill Deif again in September 2002 by targeting his car. Video footage taken during the attack shows Deif covered in blood and dragged from the scene by a man. Then Deif lost an eye and was left with a paralyzed hand.
In 2003 and 2006 Israel made further attempts. The attack hit a house where a meeting of Hamas leaders was taking place. In 2014, during the Gaza war, an airstrike hit the Deif family’s home in Sheikh Radwan. There are two more failed attempts in 2021.
Information wanders from resource to resource that Deif is missing an eye, missing an arm, partially paralyzed, or completely wheelchair-bound. In December 2023, a photograph of Deif from 2018 was published. The photo was found during the ongoing IDF operation in Gaza. A video was also found of him walking around the room and talking. By all accounts, Deif’s condition was or “is” much better than anyone expected.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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