A Story of Sacrifice and Survival
On a simple mat that has been worn along the edges by the days of war, the Gazan Ghadeer Sayyam sits, alongside her children who are using their real names for the first time, even though they are over twelve years old! Her eyes hold a story that she has kept quiet about since the very first day she became connected to a fighter pursued by "Israel" for 30 years!
The Legend of Muhammad Daif
He is the Mujahid Muhammad Al-Masri, the overall commander of the "Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades," known for 30 years as Muhammad Daif. He was born in the Khan Younis camp in the southern Gaza Strip in 1965. His family was displaced from the town of Qabibah to Gaza in 1948. He received his education at UNRWA schools and studied biology at the Islamic University, where he graduated as a distinguished student.
Challenges of Occupation
Because the occupation made life difficult for Palestinians, Daif was forced multiple times to leave his studies and work with his father in the spinning and upholstery industry, due to the harsh life of the camps that everyone who experienced displacement and forced exile had to endure. He also established a small poultry farm alongside his studies before dedicating his life to a single dream in his heart!
A Dream of Restoration
"Restoration of Jerusalem" is the dream of Daif, which his wife began discussing in an interview with "The Society.” She said: He lived his life simply, except in his dreams; he was ambitious, and in his eyes was the dream of restoring Jerusalem for which he devoted his life.
Pride and Loss
With great pride and visible sadness in her voice due to the loss of her companion, Umm Khalid told "The Society": "Now I can only be proud of my title as Umm Khalid and for people to call me that, after God honored my husband with martyrdom."
A Legendary Wedding
Ghadeer recalls the beautiful beginnings that changed her life when Muhammad Daif went to her mother, the fighting activist Fatima Al-Halabi, who used to assist fighters by delivering weapons and messages in the past, back in 1998, as he wanted to take a gun that her brother was hiding at their mother's place.
A Life in Secrecy
He married Ghadeer in 2001 in a secret wedding attended only by close family, leading Ghadeer to describe her life as "security complicated," due to the constant pursuit of the occupiers, making him number one on their wanted list.
Simplicity and Generosity
Daif had only a thousand dollars as a dowry to give to his wife, and all celebration ceremonies were absent. When Sheikh Ahmed Yassin presented him with some money as a wedding gift, he donated it to the fighters in "Al-Qassam Brigades," having renounced material life and its trimmings. Sheikh Salah Al-Shahada gifted him a bedroom, which he donated to a young man to help him complete his marriage.
Endless Support
Since their union, she had no home to settle in. She was his support and faced many difficulties, such as moving from one house to another, being blindfolded, and being transported from one car to another and from one area to another to be able to see her husband. She told everyone around her that her husband was away, so she was both father and mother to her children. Despite the simplicity and great humility that Daif adopted in the wedding ceremonies, she describes it based on his significance in her heart as "a legendary wedding" for being connected to a great man like Daif.
A Gesture of Loyalty
In a gesture of loyalty to him, his wife Ghadeer urged him in 2007 to marry another woman, since he had not been granted children. So he married another woman to leave behind a good legacy and righteous offspring when he became a martyr, only to be surprised by God's kindness as Ghadeer gave birth to triplets. Read also: From Al-Qassam to Daif... We prioritize our leaders before soldiers.
Daif as a Father
Reflecting on her last meeting with Daif, Umm Khalid's memories returned to his last instructions and laughs. His final meeting with them was on October 6, the day before the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation, when he came to them and spent the day talking with them and giving them advice about their mother. Khaled, the eldest son who spoke with great pride, said to "Al-Mujtama": My father advised me that day to focus on my studies and to memorize the Quran and study it, not just memorize it, meaning that I should become one of the teachers of it and its interpretation. He also told them that martyrdom is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey, and that martyrdom is a birth, not a death.
A Father's Will
Khaled added that his father's will was for them to follow the path of the martyrs and liberation figures such as Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, the founding Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Dr. Abdul Aziz al-Rantisi, leader Ismail Haniya, and leader Yahya Sinwar, as well as Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri.
A Daughter's Pride
And because every girl is charmed by her father, the conversation was pleasant with Halima, who was proud and admired her father, who terrified the occupier for 30 years. She started speaking with the name she loves and could not publicly use: "I am Halima Mohammed al-Daif."
A Father's Intuition
Despite his physical absence from them, Halima was amazed by her father's feeling and intuition about them, for when one of them was sick, especially Halima, he would have already felt their illness and would fall ill himself at the same time and come to see them secretly.
A Mix of Traits
Halima, his daughter, who was named after her mother, who carries all the tales and memories of the family, says: In my father's heart, there was a mix of the giving father and the zeal of a warrior. He was easy on us but tough on the enemies of God. Despite his continuous absence, we felt that our souls were always with him, and her mother interjected, saying: Abu Khaled is the icon of the Palestinian people—honest, brave, and fearless. The homeland was the priority of his life despite his immense love for his children.
A Targeted Life
Halima describes her family's life in hiding as very harsh, as they were at the top of the target list for the Zionist occupation. However, it becomes bearable when there is a higher purpose in life: to have a role in the liberation of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Assassination Attempts
In 2014, the brutal occupier targeted his family by bombing their house, resulting in the martyrdom of his second wife, Widad Asfoura, and two of their children. For 30 years, "Israel" pursued Al-Daif and his family, failing more than seven times to assassinate him.
Injuries Sustained
Al-Daif faced many assassination attempts, and he sustained injuries in two of them. The first was the loss of his left eye, prompting Ghadeer to learn nursing to care for him and give him the necessary injections for his recovery. The second involved severe burns and fractures in his back, resulting in him being unable to walk for a long period.
Life in Hiding
The hardest thing that his family faced in their life of hiding was concealing their names and using fake names for their children. They were known among people as Mona Hamdan, with the nickname Umm Fawzi, and it was not possible for their children to have names that indicated their father's identity. Their eldest son Khaled was known as Mansour Hamdan.
Simple Living
Far from the luxurious homes and palaces of the famous, Umm Khaled and her children lived in a simple house, which she described in just two words: "four mattresses and a mat before the war and after it." She smiles and says: "It is not as the 'Israeli' narratives promote to the world that the families of the leaders live in luxurious houses."
Life of Hardship
As everyone noticed the simple life her family lived, Umm Khaled noted the great astonishment of everyone who visited them for a press interview; she said: "We lived with two million Gazans a life of hunger, fatigue, displacement, bombardment, and hunger."
A Martyr's Legacy
Ghadeer concludes her talk by expressing her sadness over the loss of the first man of Palestine. However, she feels happy that Al-Daif achieved what he desired and dedicated his life for, leaving behind a martyr's legacy and a jihadist plan to liberate Palestine, instilling in the hearts of the Islamic nation the determination and will to regain Jerusalem.
