Galant on the Second Anniversary of the Guest's Assassination: He Hunted Him for Decades

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, marking the second anniversary of the assassination of “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades” commander Mohammed Deif, revealed that he had pursued him for decades, first when Deif led the Gaza Brigade and later as the Southern Region commander.

Gallant said, “Unfortunately, on the two occasions when he was in the crosshairs, wrong decisions were made. Contrary to my position, those decisions enabled Deif to evade assassination attempts.”

Gallant noted that “during the war on Gaza, we tightened the noose around him through intelligence and operational activities. Mohammed Deif made mistakes that led us to him. Intelligence provided by Shin Bet in an extraordinary operation, combined with a fully coordinated effort by the Israel Defense Forces, resulted in his assassination, along with Khan Younis Battalion commander Rafeh Salameh.”

Gallant explained, “This time, unlike the previous failed attempts, I had the authority as Minister of War to issue orders to use the appropriate ammunition to ensure that Mohammed Deif would not escape this time. Hours before the assassination, I approved the operation, and the merciless terrorist was killed.”

He concluded, “This was the opening shot in a series of dramatic assassinations of Hamas leaders. Weeks later, Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, and later Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.”