IDF poised to target Hamas leaders
The main Hamas leadership targets are: Mohammed Deif, head of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas; Marwan Issa, deputy head of the Brigades; Yehya Sinwar, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip; Ismail Hania, head of political affairs, and; Salah Al-Aruri, deputy head of political affairs. Deif and Sinwar apparently took the decision to plan and execute Operation Al Aqsa Flood.
In the past, Australia had only deemed the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades to be a terrorist organisation but now considers the whole of Hamas to be a terrorist organisation – on the basis that Hamas’s political leadership endorses the Brigades’ acts of terrorism against Israel. But Hamas enjoys considerable popular political support among Palestinians. Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, gaining a majority in the Legislative Council, and subsequently took control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah, a rival Palestinian political party.
Historically, Hamas has sought an Islamic Palestinian state over the combined territory of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, rejecting the two-state solution – although since 2017 it has indicated some flexibility on the issue.
The Brigades were officially established in 1991 as the paramilitary wing of Hamas. The Brigades undertake military activity on behalf of Hamas and have adopted terror tactics in their efforts to pressure Israel, including indiscriminate rocket attacks, suicide attacks, bombings, shootings and kidnappings directed against Israeli military and civilian targets.
Historically, the Brigades have predominantly operated in Gaza, with limited representation in the West Bank. In recent years, Hamas has also increased its presence in Lebanon in co-operation with Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Historically, there had not been much co-operation between Hamas (a Sunni organisation) and Hezbollah (a Shia organisation). What unites them is Israel as a common enemy.
Deif is now Israel’s primary target. He has been on the top of the most wanted list in Israel for several decades and has previously been accused of causing the deaths of dozens of Israelis through suicide bombings. He was born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp, set up after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He was born Mohammad Masri and became known as Mohammed Deif after he joined Hamas during the first Palestinian Uprising (or Intifada) in 1987.
Israel arrested Deif in 1989 and he spent about 16 months in detention. Deif later completed a degree in science from the Islamic University in Gaza, where he studied biology, chemistry and physics. He was also interested in arts subjects, and headed the entertainment committee of the university.
While rising up the ranks of Hamas, Deif developed the Hamas network of tunnels and used his science background to improve its bomb-making expertise.
Deif started planning Operation Al Aqsa Flood after the Israeli police operation at the Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan in May 2021. The Israeli security operation was intended to safeguard Jewish access to the area (also sacred to Jews as the Temple Mount) and remove Palestinian protesters. It sparked a religious riot. Between May 10 and 14, Israeli police injured approximately 1000 Palestinian protesters, with some reported in critical condition.
A source in Gaza stated: “It (Operation Al Aqsa Flood) was triggered by scenes and footage of Israel storming Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, beating worshippers, attacking them, dragging elderly and young men out of the mosque. All this fuelled and ignited the anger.”
Deif’s current whereabouts are unknown, although he is most likely in Gaza. He has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021.
Deif has stayed in the shadows for a long time because of the assassination risk he faces. Hamas sources say he sustained serious injuries in one leg and lost an eye in one of the Israeli assassination attempts. During an airstrike in 2014, his wife, three-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son were killed. Deif speaks out rarely, and has never appeared in public. But before the Operation Al Aqsa Flood attacks, he spoke to Palestinians through Hamas’s TV channel in an audio recording, signalling something significant was about to take place. He stated: “Today the rage of Al Aqsa, the rage of our people and nation is exploding. Our mujahedeen (holy warriors), today is your day to make this criminal understand that his time has ended.”
Deif said Israel has been repeatedly warned by Hamas to end its crimes against Palestinians and release the (6000) Palestinian prisoners, who he claimed were tortured and abused, and to stop its expropriation of Palestinian land.
“Every day the occupation (forces) storm our villages, towns and cities in the West Bank and raid houses, kill, injure, destroy and detain. At the same time, it (Israel) confiscates thousands of acres of our land, uproots our people from their houses to build settlements while its criminal siege continues on Gaza,” he said.
Deif stated Hamas had appealed to the international community to stop the “crimes of the occupation”, but that Israel continued to increase its provocation. He went on to say that Hamas in the past had appealed to Israel to finalise a humanitarian deal for releasing Palestinian prisoners, however, this was rejected.
“In light of the orgy of occupation and its denial of international laws and resolutions, and in light of American and Western support and international silence, we’ve decided to put an end to all this,” he stated.
Deif has always been security conscious. In the public domain, only three images of Deif are available – one of him in his 20s, another of him masked, and the third one just his shadow, which the TV used when broadcasting the audio tape. But clearly his days are numbered.
Operation Swords of Iron is likely to lead to the death of Hamas’s current leadership – but, in the absence of a negotiated settlement, their martyrdom will undoubtedly encourage the next generation of Palestinians to take on the might of Israel in the years ahead.
Clive Williams is visiting fellow at the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.
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One of the primary objectives of the Israeli Defence Forces’ Operation Swords of Iron will be to hunt down and kill the Hamas leadership considered responsible for Operation Al Aqsa Flood – the recent deadly Hamas attacks on Israel.