New Details Emerge on Hamas Military Chief Muhammad Deif’s Escape Route Before Killing
Two years after the killing of Muhammad Deif, the head of Hamas’s military wing, new information has surfaced revealing his escape route from Gaza to Rafah and Khan Yunis. According to sources within Hamas cited by the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Deif stayed in Gaza City during the initial days of the October 7, 2023 terror attack and massacre. He remained there briefly until the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) took control of the Nitzanim corridor, which separated northern and southern Gaza.
In November 2023, Deif left Gaza City alone without personal security and moved toward Rafah in southern Gaza. During this time, communication with him was lost for over four days after he failed to find a contact who was supposed to help him reach a safe location. This forced him to change his escape route. Hamas sources noted that because there were no recent images of Deif, he was able to move around Rafah undetected, even sleeping in the streets and a mosque while tens of thousands of Gaza residents fled to Rafah amid the fighting.
Within Hamas, there was uncertainty about Deif’s whereabouts. Some believed he was still in Gaza City, leading to initial denials of reports about his death. Others suspected he had moved south but did not know his exact location. Senior Hamas figures, including his eventual successor Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades commander Az al-Din al-Haddad, advised Deif to stay in Gaza City, believing they could provide security despite the Israeli manhunt. However, Deif preferred to stay close to developments on the ground and oversee operations and negotiations.
Contact with Deif was eventually reestablished in Rafah after he randomly connected with a Hamas operative there, who helped him reach a safe house. He was later moved to Khan Yunis, where he joined Raafat Salama, the Khan Yunis brigade commander. The two moved between several safe houses in the area until they were killed in an Israeli strike on July 13, 2024. This new report sheds light on the period leading up to the death of one of Hamas’s top military leaders and traces his escape path from Gaza City through Rafah to Khan Yunis.
