Israel has responded to the onslaught of Hamas rocket fire with a tactical
campaign targeting leaders of the Iran-backed terror group in the Gaza Stri


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Who are the Leaders of Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades?

 

(New York, N.Y.) – Israel has responded to the onslaught of Hamas
<[link removed]> rocket fire with a tactical
campaigntargeting leaders
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of the Iran-backed terror group in the Gaza Strip, including Mohammed Deif and
Yahya Sinwar, the highest ranking Hamas officials inside Gaza. The Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) has unsuccessfully targeted both Sinwar and Deif over the
past two weeks.

 

Mohammed Deif <[link removed]>,
born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, is the leader of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. He has been on Israel’s “most wanted”
list for more than 20 years. Deif’s mentor was Yehya Ayyash, “the engineer”
renowned for building Hamas bombs and other weaponry. Israeli authorities
credit Deif with masterminding al-Qassam’s rocket launching techniques, as well
as the suicide bus bombings, soldier kidnappings, and tunnel-digging
techniques. On May 4, 2021, Deif issued his first public statement in over
seven years. In the statement, Deif stated that he was sending a “clear, final
warning” that Israel would pay a “heavy price” at the hands of Hamas if Israel
evicts Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, east Jerusalem. Hamas
has launched more than 4,000 rockets toward Israeli communities since May 10.
Israel has reportedly unsuccessfully targeted Deif at least twice during the
past two weeks. In a sign of Deif’s influence, Ismail Ghaani, leader of the
Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, wrote to Deif this week
praising Hamas and addressing Deif as a “living martyr,” a term previously
applied to deceased Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. The IDF is
reportedly continuing to target Deif.

 

Yahya Sinwar <[link removed]> is a
U.S.-designated senior Hamas leader with ties to the group’s political and
military wings. In February 2017 internal elections, Hamas elected Sinwar as
its political chief in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar replaced deputy Hamas leader
Ismail Haniyeh, who replaced Qatar-based leader Khaled Meshaal in early-mid
2017 as chief of Hamas’s political bureau. Sinwar is a founding member of the
forerunner of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He also founded Hamas’s Majd
intelligence service, which targets alleged collaborators with Israel. Sinwar
won a second term as Hamas’s Gaza leader on March 10, 2021, following a
contested internal election. Sinwar is the highest-ranking Hamas official in
the Gaza Strip and third in the organization’s chain of command behind
Qatar-based Meshaal and Haniyeh. Israel targeted Sinwar’s home in Gaza last
week, but he was not present during the attack.

 

Additionally, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) released a new resource on
Abu Ubaida <[link removed]>, spokesman
of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Ubaida is part of the brigades’ senior
command and has spoken on behalf of the brigades for more than a decade. It is
uncertain when Ubaida was named spokesman of the brigades. However, media
sources have referred to Ubaida as the official Qassam Brigades spokesman since
at least 2007. During the current conflict, Ubaida hascalled
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for all Palestinians to “rise to battle in every field.”

 

To read CEP’s resource Hamas, please click here
<[link removed]>.

 

To read CEP’s resource Mohammed Deif, please click here
<[link removed]>.

 

To read CEP’s resource Yahya Sinwar, please click here
<[link removed]>.

 

To read CEP’s resource Abu Ubaida, please click here
<[link removed]>.



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