Elimination of Deif would be 'massive blow to Hamas, much more significant than Sinwar,' Fauda creator and security analyst believes

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Israeli security analyst Avi Issacharoff, who is also the co-creator of the celebrated Netflix TV series Fauda, has a solid military background as a former operative in the IDF's Special Forces. He recently assessed Israel’s latest attempt to eliminate Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif in Gaza.

“There is a kind of shock [in Gaza]," Issacharoff said in an interview with Israeli 103FM radio.

"The reactions from senior Hamas officials who are not in Gaza are mostly confused. I saw a live report of the assassination on a channel affiliated with Hezbollah that was removed soon after. I don't think they fully understand what happened. It will take some time to reach Qatar. It is difficult to say that it will be possible to identify exactly who was taken out. There are many dead bodies, and there is nothing left to identify. I don't think it will be so easy for Hamas to understand and admit what happened," he assessed.

Known as the “ghost,” Hamas’ elusive military commander Mohammed Deif has been at the top of Israel’s most wanted terrorist list since the 1990s when he became a central Hamas player. Deif has, over the years, survived at least seven Israeli assassination attempts. Following Israel’s July 13 assassination attempt in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF was still not 100% certain Deif was killed.

"There is still no absolute certainty that Deif and Salamah have been eliminated, but I guarantee that we will reach the top of Hamas," Netanyahu said last week.

Since the Israeli operation was reportedly based on highly accurate intelligence and Deif was above ground, Israeli military officials increasingly believe Deif was killed in the strike. Hamas has so far not confirmed his death.

However, Israeli officials confirmed that senior Hamas terrorist commander Rafa Salamah was at Deif’s side and was killed in the Israeli bombing of the Hamas hideout. Since Israel used several heavy bombs, Deif was likely either killed or severely injured in the operation.

Deif is credited for having transformed Hamas’ military wing into a full-fledged terrorist army with military capabilities that mimic those of conventional armies. Issacharoff, therefore, believes that the potential elimination of Deif would be an even more significant blow to Hamas than the elimination of the terror group's top chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

"I have not heard an official announcement from Hamas saying Deif is alive. I don't think there is complete coordination there. Regarding the firing of the rockets, Hamas does not have the same abilities that it had in the past. They might attempt to keep firing to show they can manage without Deif. Either way, this is a massive blow to Hamas, much more significant than Sinwar, I believe,” Issacharoff said.

"Deif turned Hamas into a military empire," he added, referring to the military infrastructure that Hamas built across Gaza, especially its vast underground tunnel system.

"Sinwar sees that Deif, who was one of the seniors in the Hamas military wing, and [several other senior figures] who were in the headquarters before the war, are gone now. Every week that goes by, another one [is eliminated]. Hamas is dwindling. Their military capabilities are still there, but their ability to harm the Israeli side is diminishing, and they understand this very well," Issacharoff said.

However, he believes that the possible elimination of Deif will have a limited impact on the Iranian regime's most powerful terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, which is currently waging a war against northern Israel from Lebanon.

"I'm not sure that the assassination has that much of an effect there. On October 8, Hezbollah stayed on the sidelines to watch. On the other hand, the systematic damage to the organization's leaders is already a change in Hamas. They are no longer an organized military organization," Issacharoff concluded.