Israel’s military has released a new picture of Hamas’s shadowy military commander clutching a wad of US dollars while relaxing outdoors as it continues to hunt him down in Gaza.
The image shows Mohammed Deif, the leader of the terror group’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, casually checking his watch as he clutches a half-full plastic cup in one hand and a wad of US dollar notes in the other.
It was found among some 70 million digital files the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had unearthed in Gaza, where he is believed to be hiding out in the terror group’s sprawling network of underground tunnels.
Nicknamed The Guest for his habit of continually moving around within the enclave to avoid detection by the Israelis, he is believed to have been responsible for orchestrating Hamas’s murderous Oct 7 rampage.
The Israeli military did not say when or where the photo was taken, or exactly how or where its forces obtained the image.
The new image shows the grey-haired 58-year-old sitting on a sandy bank in front of two pairs of shoes and alongside an unidentified man, who appears to be counting a stash of US dollars.
His right eye appears to be missing.
Photos of the Hamas commander are rare
A shadowy figure, he has been on Israel’s most wanted list for nearly three decades and has survived at least seven assassination attempts that left him with impaired sight and movement
His wife, infant son and three-year-old daughter were reportedly killed amid the attempts on his life.
Reports last month by Israeli media suggested IDF troops had uncovered video footage in Gaza which showed him walking without assistance, albeit with a slight limp, and a wheelchair that he may have used while traversing Hamas’s tunnel network owing to his injuries from the assassination attempts.
Born in Khan Younis in Gaza in 1965, he has been described as the “Cat with nine lives” because of the number of assassination attempts he has survived. He also goes by the names Mohammed Diab and Mohammed al-Masri.
Photographs of the Hamas commander are rare.
Last week Israeli media published one image reportedly taken in 2018 at a social event, which had also been uncovered by the Israeli military in Gaza.
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