Muhammad al-Zaif, who initiated “Operation Storm of Al-Aqsa” againstIsrael, is a significant figure in the ongoing conflict. Born as MuhammadDiab Ibrahim al-Masri, he adopted the alias “al-Zaif” after survivingIsraeli airstrikes and adopting an underground lifestyle.
This alias means “guest” in Arabic. He is the General Commander of themilitary wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, known as the “Izz al-Dinal-Qassam Brigades.”
Born in 1965 in the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in Gaza, Muhammad al-Zaifbecame associated with Hamas in 1990. He later rose to become a leaderwithin Hamas in 2002. Al-Zaif had a family, including a seven-month-old sonand a three-year-old daughter, who tragically lost their lives in anIsraeli airstrike in 2014.
He is often referred to as the “Ghost” by Israelis because of the scarcityof recent images of him and his ability to frequently change his location,sometimes even multiple times in a single night. Despite being a highlysought-after individual by the Israeli military since 1995 for his allegedinvolvement in planning attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, hehas managed to evade capture.
Israel considers him the most wanted person in Palestine and often refersto him as the “New Life Cat,” signifying his ability to escape variousdangers successfully. The prolonged cat-and-mouse game between al-Zaif andthe Israeli military has been a source of frustration for Israel, as theirobjective during recent conflicts was to eliminate many top Hamascommanders.
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Muhammad al-Zaif, who lost an eye in a previous assassination attempt, alsosuffered the loss of part of his arm in another targeted attack. Despitethese challenges, he has remained a prominent figure in the Palestinianresistance.
On October 7th, an audio recording was released in which Muhammad al-Zaifannounced the beginning of “Operation Storm of Al-Aqsa” against Israel andwarned that if Israel did not meet Hamas’s demands, it would face a “heavyprice.” In the recording, he also mentioned Pakistan, urging its people tosupport the operation in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The situation remains tense, and al-Zaif’s actions and leadership continueto be a focal point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.