Hamas unmasked

last updated 8 January 2015

Gaza Strip

The Palestinian militant group Hamas this week revealed for the first time the names and faces of its commanders. Hamas has been responsible for scores of suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks against Israelis, and it long sought to protect its leaders from Israeli retaliation by keeping their identities a secret. But as Israel pulled troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip, Hamas has begun taking a higher profile there. On its Web site and in its newspaper, the group posted biographies of seven leaders, including how long each spent in Israeli jails and how many assassination attempts each had survived. At the top of the list is Mohammed Deif, a notorious bomb-maker and the most wanted man in Israel.