The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) executed a daring covert operation to assassinate Mohammed Deif, Hamas's senior military commander and architect of the October 7 massacre, the Jewish Chronicle (JC) has revealed. The operation, which took place in July, involved undercover IDF soldiers disguised as beggars and vegetable sellers to pinpoint Deif's location.
According to the JC, based on interviews with security sources, one agent posed as a market stallholder, selling vegetables outside a building Deif was believed to visit regularly. The operation culminated in a missile attack that killed both Deif and his deputy, Rafa Salama.
The foundation of the operation was the discovery that Deif had stopped following his basic security protocols. Israeli intelligence had been aware for months that he had become a regular visitor to displaced Gazans at the al-Mawasi tent complex on the Gazan coast, the JC reported. Deif would enter an apartment building near the complex to meet fellow Hamas operatives before his visits.
After receiving intelligence from local collaborators and Israeli undercover units about the timing of Deif's possible next visit, the IDF began planning his assassination. They were surprised to learn that Deif, known as the "Master of Camouflage" due to his extreme caution over 30 years of failed elimination attempts, had started disregarding security norms by staying in the same residential building west of Khan Younis. "The pattern was almost always the same: prior to his visits, Deif would enter an apartment building near the complex where he would meet fellow Hamas operatives to receive updates on the Israeli army's movements in the area, as well as the situation regarding food and medical supplies for the displaced Gazans," the JC report says.
The "Duvdevan" undercover team, whose activities were featured in the TV series Fauda, infiltrated the area. Some posed as UNRWA workers delivering aid, while others disguised themselves as Muslim religious figures. Two agents were stationed near the building's entrance: one as a vegetable seller and another as an elderly beggar.
On Saturday, July 13, news spread among Gazans that Deif was coming to visit. After the undercover team relayed this information to the command room in Israel, the security cabinet swiftly authorized the operation. Two fighter jets were deployed to hover over the area, waiting for Deif to enter the building.
A last-minute change in the exit plan was necessary when suspicious movements of armed Hamas operatives were detected in the area intended for the Israeli agents' escape. The undercover force was directed to head towards the sea instead of eastward towards Israel.
After several anxious hours, Deif was seen entering the building. The ground forces quietly made their way towards the sea and were picked up by an IDF ship. Five minutes later, the two planes began phased attacks on the target, completely destroying the building and laying a belt of fire around it to discourage rescue attempts.
The operation also involved firing a bunker-penetrating missile to reach the underground floor where Deif was believed to have fled. It took the IDF two weeks to confirm Deif's death due to the rubble surrounding his body. Despite the confirmation of Deif's death, Hamas continues to deny it, possibly to avoid demoralising its fighters and to cast doubt on Israeli intelligence sources.
The assassination of Deif is part of a series of recent operations targeting Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. The JC has previously revealed details about the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a hostage rescue operation in June that secured the release of Noa Argamani and three other Israeli captives.
