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| After Strike on Family, Fate of Hamas Commander Is Unknown | After Strike on Family, Fate of Hamas Commander Is Unknown |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| JERUSALEM — The fate of Muhammad Deif, the commander in chief of Hamas’s military wing, remained a mystery on Wednesday, like much of his life spent in the shadows. | |
| The Israeli warplanes that dropped at least five bombs on a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City late Tuesday were seeking Mr. Deif, in at least the fifth Israeli attempt to assassinate him. | The Israeli warplanes that dropped at least five bombs on a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City late Tuesday were seeking Mr. Deif, in at least the fifth Israeli attempt to assassinate him. |
| Eight years ago, as Mr. Deif met with other top Hamas military officials on the ground floor of a three-story house in Sheikh Radwan, the Israeli Air Force struck at 3 a.m. Nine members of a family on the upper floors of the house were killed, but Mr. Deif and his comrades escaped. | Eight years ago, as Mr. Deif met with other top Hamas military officials on the ground floor of a three-story house in Sheikh Radwan, the Israeli Air Force struck at 3 a.m. Nine members of a family on the upper floors of the house were killed, but Mr. Deif and his comrades escaped. |
| The latest bombing struck closer: One of Mr. Deif’s wives, Widad, 28, and their infant son, Ali, were killed along with fellow residents Wafaa al-Dalo, 48, and her two sons, Ahmed 18, and Mustafa 14, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and neighbors. The house was reduced to rubble. | The latest bombing struck closer: One of Mr. Deif’s wives, Widad, 28, and their infant son, Ali, were killed along with fellow residents Wafaa al-Dalo, 48, and her two sons, Ahmed 18, and Mustafa 14, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and neighbors. The house was reduced to rubble. |
| It was not clear whether Mr. Deif had been in the house at the time, and neither Hamas nor Israel provided evidence of his survival or demise. “It was like an earthquake,” said a neighbor, Abu Fayez al-Shorafa, describing the powerful impact of the attack. “Everybody went out to check what happened.” | It was not clear whether Mr. Deif had been in the house at the time, and neither Hamas nor Israel provided evidence of his survival or demise. “It was like an earthquake,” said a neighbor, Abu Fayez al-Shorafa, describing the powerful impact of the attack. “Everybody went out to check what happened.” |
| After nearly three decades of living underground and two decades as No. 1 on Israel’s most-wanted list, and having survived severe wounds from two of the previous assassination attempts, Mr. Deif, now approaching 50, has become a symbol of Hamas’s staying power. | After nearly three decades of living underground and two decades as No. 1 on Israel’s most-wanted list, and having survived severe wounds from two of the previous assassination attempts, Mr. Deif, now approaching 50, has become a symbol of Hamas’s staying power. |
| On Wednesday, a day after the latest short-term cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip collapsed, along with the talks in Cairo for a more lasting truce, more than 140 rockets were fired into Israel, which carried out at least 70 airstrikes against launch sites, weapons stores and other targets, according to the military. At least 19 Palestinians were killed. | On Wednesday, a day after the latest short-term cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip collapsed, along with the talks in Cairo for a more lasting truce, more than 140 rockets were fired into Israel, which carried out at least 70 airstrikes against launch sites, weapons stores and other targets, according to the military. At least 19 Palestinians were killed. |
| Even after a month of fierce fighting, which led to the deaths of nearly 2,000 residents of Gaza, and 64 soldiers and three civilians on the Israeli side, Hamas appeared unbowed. | Even after a month of fierce fighting, which led to the deaths of nearly 2,000 residents of Gaza, and 64 soldiers and three civilians on the Israeli side, Hamas appeared unbowed. |
| As the architect who built Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, into a formidable fighting force equipped with rockets, tunnels and frogmen primed for deadly attacks, Mr. Deif is lionized by many Palestinians as a model of prowess and dedication in the battle against Israel. | As the architect who built Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, into a formidable fighting force equipped with rockets, tunnels and frogmen primed for deadly attacks, Mr. Deif is lionized by many Palestinians as a model of prowess and dedication in the battle against Israel. |
| “He is a pillar and the symbol of the military and jihadi work, and he is among the decision makers,” said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas official in Gaza. Without specifying whether Mr. Deif was alive or dead, Mr. Barhoum said Mr. Deif, his wife and son “are part of the body that has the resistance as its soul.” | “He is a pillar and the symbol of the military and jihadi work, and he is among the decision makers,” said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas official in Gaza. Without specifying whether Mr. Deif was alive or dead, Mr. Barhoum said Mr. Deif, his wife and son “are part of the body that has the resistance as its soul.” |
| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel refused to respond specifically to questions about Mr. Deif at a news conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Mr. Netanyahu said only: “The heads of terror organizations and their commanders are a legitimate and top priority target. Nobody is immune.” | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel refused to respond specifically to questions about Mr. Deif at a news conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. Mr. Netanyahu said only: “The heads of terror organizations and their commanders are a legitimate and top priority target. Nobody is immune.” |
| Ronen Bergman, an Israeli journalist specializing in security affairs who is researching a book on Israel’s intelligence and counterterrorism efforts, said: “Deif is the only prime military figure in Hamas to have survived so long. The fact that he was able to escape multiple assassination attempts and recover from severe injuries has built him the image and prestige of a bulletproof legend.” | Ronen Bergman, an Israeli journalist specializing in security affairs who is researching a book on Israel’s intelligence and counterterrorism efforts, said: “Deif is the only prime military figure in Hamas to have survived so long. The fact that he was able to escape multiple assassination attempts and recover from severe injuries has built him the image and prestige of a bulletproof legend.” |
| Whether Mr. Deif was eliminated or not, the targeting of one of his family shelters is likely to roil the Hamas leadership and raise internal fears of a security leak. | Whether Mr. Deif was eliminated or not, the targeting of one of his family shelters is likely to roil the Hamas leadership and raise internal fears of a security leak. |
| At a news conference in Gaza on Wednesday, the masked spokesman for the Qassam Brigades known as Abu Obeida declared the Egyptian-brokered truce talks dead. He warned foreign airlines not to fly to Ben-Gurion International Airport, outside Tel Aviv, starting from 6 a.m. on Thursday and cautioned Israelis against gathering in large numbers because of the risk from rocket fire. | At a news conference in Gaza on Wednesday, the masked spokesman for the Qassam Brigades known as Abu Obeida declared the Egyptian-brokered truce talks dead. He warned foreign airlines not to fly to Ben-Gurion International Airport, outside Tel Aviv, starting from 6 a.m. on Thursday and cautioned Israelis against gathering in large numbers because of the risk from rocket fire. |
| Major American and European airlines temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel last month after a rocket fell about a mile from the airport, a move that deeply disturbed Israelis. | Major American and European airlines temporarily suspended flights to and from Israel last month after a rocket fell about a mile from the airport, a move that deeply disturbed Israelis. |
| Mr. Deif was last heard from about three weeks ago in a rare, two-minute audio recording aired on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television station. He said that Hamas was winning the war and that there would be no cease-fire until Israel stopped its attacks and the seven-year blockade on Gaza was lifted. “We will not accept any middle-ground solutions at the expense of the resistance and our people’s freedom,” he said. | Mr. Deif was last heard from about three weeks ago in a rare, two-minute audio recording aired on Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television station. He said that Hamas was winning the war and that there would be no cease-fire until Israel stopped its attacks and the seven-year blockade on Gaza was lifted. “We will not accept any middle-ground solutions at the expense of the resistance and our people’s freedom,” he said. |
| Born in the Khan Younis refugee camp, Mr. Deif was a neighbor and a childhood friend of Muhammad Dahlan, who grew up to be a Palestinian Authority security chief assigned to rein in Hamas; Mr. Dahlan now lives abroad. On opposite sides of the Palestinian divide, the pair are said to have remained on good terms for many years. | Born in the Khan Younis refugee camp, Mr. Deif was a neighbor and a childhood friend of Muhammad Dahlan, who grew up to be a Palestinian Authority security chief assigned to rein in Hamas; Mr. Dahlan now lives abroad. On opposite sides of the Palestinian divide, the pair are said to have remained on good terms for many years. |
| Mr. Deif joined Hamas around the time of its founding in the late 1980s and soon emerged as a prominent figure. He masterminded a series of deadly bus bombings in Israel in the mid-1990s that were meant to avenge the assassination of Yahya Ayyash, a Hamas bomb maker who was killed by a booby-trapped cellphone. In 2002, Mr. Deif succeeded Salah Shehadeh, the founder of the military wing of Hamas, who was killed in an Israeli missile strike on his home that also killed at least 14 other people. Mr. Deif’s top lieutenant, Ahmed al-Jabari, was assassinated in 2012. | Mr. Deif joined Hamas around the time of its founding in the late 1980s and soon emerged as a prominent figure. He masterminded a series of deadly bus bombings in Israel in the mid-1990s that were meant to avenge the assassination of Yahya Ayyash, a Hamas bomb maker who was killed by a booby-trapped cellphone. In 2002, Mr. Deif succeeded Salah Shehadeh, the founder of the military wing of Hamas, who was killed in an Israeli missile strike on his home that also killed at least 14 other people. Mr. Deif’s top lieutenant, Ahmed al-Jabari, was assassinated in 2012. |
| Israel’s previous attempts to assassinate Mr. Deif happened in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006. He lost an eye and some limbs, according to Israeli reports. | Israel’s previous attempts to assassinate Mr. Deif happened in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006. He lost an eye and some limbs, according to Israeli reports. |
| Mr. Deif went on to establish six territorial brigades of fighters and maintained direct contact with the commanders in the field, according to Ehud Yaari, an Israeli expert on Palestinian affairs and a fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. To avoid detection by Israeli intelligence, Mr. Yaari said, Mr. Deif would send instructions through confidants on motorcycles. | Mr. Deif went on to establish six territorial brigades of fighters and maintained direct contact with the commanders in the field, according to Ehud Yaari, an Israeli expert on Palestinian affairs and a fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. To avoid detection by Israeli intelligence, Mr. Yaari said, Mr. Deif would send instructions through confidants on motorcycles. |
| Mr. Shorafa, the neighbor in Sheikh Radwan, said he did not know whether Mr. Deif had been living in the home that was bombed. It is common practice for senior militants in Hamas to move from apartment to apartment, often rented in others’ names, to avoid detection by Israeli intelligence. Mr. Deif’s real family name is al-Masri. Deif is an Arabic nickname meaning “guest” in Arabic, because he does not settle in one home. | Mr. Shorafa, the neighbor in Sheikh Radwan, said he did not know whether Mr. Deif had been living in the home that was bombed. It is common practice for senior militants in Hamas to move from apartment to apartment, often rented in others’ names, to avoid detection by Israeli intelligence. Mr. Deif’s real family name is al-Masri. Deif is an Arabic nickname meaning “guest” in Arabic, because he does not settle in one home. |
| Mustafa Asfoura said that his daughter Widad married Mr. Deif about four years ago, and that they had four children. Ali, at 8 months, was the youngest; the other children were injured. Mr. Asfoura, 55, said he had long expected his daughter to die in such a way because she was married to “the No. 1 wanted man in Israel.” | Mustafa Asfoura said that his daughter Widad married Mr. Deif about four years ago, and that they had four children. Ali, at 8 months, was the youngest; the other children were injured. Mr. Asfoura, 55, said he had long expected his daughter to die in such a way because she was married to “the No. 1 wanted man in Israel.” |
| “If Israel wants to kill a fighter, why would it kill women and children beside him?” Mr. Asfoura asked. “Let them kill him alone.” | “If Israel wants to kill a fighter, why would it kill women and children beside him?” Mr. Asfoura asked. “Let them kill him alone.” |
| Hamas put out a public call for people to attend the funeral of Mr. Deif’s wife and baby, and hundreds joined the procession in the Jabaliya refugee camp. | Hamas put out a public call for people to attend the funeral of Mr. Deif’s wife and baby, and hundreds joined the procession in the Jabaliya refugee camp. |