Sources in Hamas have provided new details about the movements of former Al-Qassam Brigades commander Mohammed Deif before he was killed in an Israeli strike in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis in July 2024.
The strike, which lasted several minutes and targeted an open area containing a small structure, was later confirmed by Israel as an attempt to eliminate Deif and Khan Yunis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salama. Hamas initially denied that Deif had been killed, saying the location was being used as a shelter for displaced civilians.
In January 2025, Hamas’s armed wing acknowledged that Deif, Salama, and other senior commanders, including Marwan Issa, had been killed.
According to three Hamas sources quoted by Asharq Al-Awsat, the initial denial regarding Deif’s death was based on information among some Hamas leaders who believed he was still in Gaza City rather than in the southern Gaza Strip. Other officials believed he had moved south but did not know his exact location.
The sources said Deif had remained in Gaza City after the October 7, 2023 attack before leaving for southern Gaza in early November. They said he traveled without his personal security detail and eventually reached Rafah after losing contact with intermediaries who were supposed to help move him between locations.
One Hamas source said Deif was able to move through Rafah for several days without being recognized, partly because Israeli intelligence did not have a recent image of him and his appearance was not widely known among Palestinians.
The sources said Deif later re-established contact with members of the Al-Qassam Brigades and was moved to secure locations before reaching Khan Yunis, where he joined Salama. The two commanders later moved between several locations before settling at the site targeted in the Israeli operation.
The Hamas sources also said Israeli intelligence had lacked a clear picture of Deif for years, despite his role as a senior figure in the organization. They claimed that Israeli forces later obtained photographs and video footage of Al-Qassam leaders from locations seized during ground operations, which were used to analyze Deif’s identity.
According to the sources, Israeli intelligence used the collected material, along with other intelligence methods, to track Deif and determine his location, ultimately leading to the strike that killed him.