20 aug 2014
By John V. Whitbeck
John V. Whitbeck is an international lawyer who has advised the Palestinian negotiating team in negotiations with Israel.
After the breakdown in the six-day "pause" to permit negotiations on a long-term Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and the resumption of Israel's onslaught against the caged people of Gaza, concerned people everywhere are wondering how the conflicting demands of the two sides can possibly be reconciled.
Each side feels a compelling need to achieve some gain to justify its sacrifices -- on the Palestinian side, over 2,000 dead, over 10,000 wounded and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure and, on the Israeli side, 64 dead soldiers and two dead civilians -- and not to agree to anything that its own people could view as accepting failure or defeat.
Considering the reasonableness or unreasonableness of the respective demands may assist any foreign governments which are genuinely interested in ending the infernal cycle of violence and making progress toward a durable peace with some measure of justice to decide which side they should be seeking to convince or compel to be reasonable.
Is it unreasonable to demand, as Palestine does, that residents of Gaza be permitted to leave their cage; to build a proper port; to rebuild their airport (destroyed by Israel in 2002); to farm their fields, even within three kilometers of their border with Israel; to fish their waters more than three nautical miles offshore; to export their produce and to import basic necessities?
Additionally, is it unreasonable to demand that the 61 Palestinians released in the Shalit prison swap and effectively kidnapped by Israel soon after the kidnapping in the West Bank of three young settlers be re-released?
This is all that Palestine has been demanding. To what other people could such modest demands be denied, as they have been throughout seven years of siege and blockade?
On the other hand, is it reasonable to demand, as Israel does, that, prior to any definitive agreement ending the occupation, Gaza be completely "demilitarized," thereby stripping its people of any means of resisting their 47-year-long occupation (a right of resistance to foreign occupation being recognized by international law) or even of reminding a world which has preferred to ignore them of their miserable existence.
A high degree of "demilitarization" of the State of Palestine might well be agreed to in a definitive agreement ending the occupation, since Palestinians would not wish to give Israel any future excuse to re-invade and re-occupy Palestine, but what is needed now is not acquiescence in the occupation but the end of the occupation.
For the Israeli government, the best result that it can now realistically hope for is to maintain the status quo ante (including the siege of Gaza) and to again get away with murder, and, with Western powers exerting enormous pressures on Palestine not to join the International Criminal Court or otherwise seek recourse to international law to protect the Palestinian people, Israel should be able to achieve this simply by not agreeing to anything with the Palestinians.
Such a result would clearly be unjust and unsatisfactory for Palestine and ensure yet another round of death and destruction in the near future.
Only serious and principled outside pressure on Israel to accede to most of the reasonable Palestinian demands, accompanied by credible threats of meaningful adverse consequences for Israeli obstinacy, would offer any hope of achieving a win-win result which could make yet another replay of this latest onslaught unlikely.
Unfortunately, with the United States, the major European states and Egypt all firmly aligned on Israel's side, any such serious and principled pressure is difficult to imagine in the absence of some game-changing Palestinian initiative.
With a view to saving Israeli face while ending the siege of Gaza (and subsequently the occupation of the entire State of Palestine), the Palestinian leadership should publicly request the deployment of UN, US or NATO troops to both Gaza and the West Bank to protect both Israelis and Palestinians from further violence pending a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied State of Palestine.
Neither Israelis nor Palestinians will have peace or security until the occupation ends on either a decent two-state or a democratic one-state basis, and the current round of Gaza massacres may have produced a moment when even Western governments, notwithstanding their knee-jerk pro-Israel public pronouncements, are conscious of this reality and could, if given a significant prod and incentive to act on this consciousness, actually do so.
John V. Whitbeck is an international lawyer who has advised the Palestinian negotiating team in negotiations with Israel.
After the breakdown in the six-day "pause" to permit negotiations on a long-term Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and the resumption of Israel's onslaught against the caged people of Gaza, concerned people everywhere are wondering how the conflicting demands of the two sides can possibly be reconciled.
Each side feels a compelling need to achieve some gain to justify its sacrifices -- on the Palestinian side, over 2,000 dead, over 10,000 wounded and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure and, on the Israeli side, 64 dead soldiers and two dead civilians -- and not to agree to anything that its own people could view as accepting failure or defeat.
Considering the reasonableness or unreasonableness of the respective demands may assist any foreign governments which are genuinely interested in ending the infernal cycle of violence and making progress toward a durable peace with some measure of justice to decide which side they should be seeking to convince or compel to be reasonable.
Is it unreasonable to demand, as Palestine does, that residents of Gaza be permitted to leave their cage; to build a proper port; to rebuild their airport (destroyed by Israel in 2002); to farm their fields, even within three kilometers of their border with Israel; to fish their waters more than three nautical miles offshore; to export their produce and to import basic necessities?
Additionally, is it unreasonable to demand that the 61 Palestinians released in the Shalit prison swap and effectively kidnapped by Israel soon after the kidnapping in the West Bank of three young settlers be re-released?
This is all that Palestine has been demanding. To what other people could such modest demands be denied, as they have been throughout seven years of siege and blockade?
On the other hand, is it reasonable to demand, as Israel does, that, prior to any definitive agreement ending the occupation, Gaza be completely "demilitarized," thereby stripping its people of any means of resisting their 47-year-long occupation (a right of resistance to foreign occupation being recognized by international law) or even of reminding a world which has preferred to ignore them of their miserable existence.
A high degree of "demilitarization" of the State of Palestine might well be agreed to in a definitive agreement ending the occupation, since Palestinians would not wish to give Israel any future excuse to re-invade and re-occupy Palestine, but what is needed now is not acquiescence in the occupation but the end of the occupation.
For the Israeli government, the best result that it can now realistically hope for is to maintain the status quo ante (including the siege of Gaza) and to again get away with murder, and, with Western powers exerting enormous pressures on Palestine not to join the International Criminal Court or otherwise seek recourse to international law to protect the Palestinian people, Israel should be able to achieve this simply by not agreeing to anything with the Palestinians.
Such a result would clearly be unjust and unsatisfactory for Palestine and ensure yet another round of death and destruction in the near future.
Only serious and principled outside pressure on Israel to accede to most of the reasonable Palestinian demands, accompanied by credible threats of meaningful adverse consequences for Israeli obstinacy, would offer any hope of achieving a win-win result which could make yet another replay of this latest onslaught unlikely.
Unfortunately, with the United States, the major European states and Egypt all firmly aligned on Israel's side, any such serious and principled pressure is difficult to imagine in the absence of some game-changing Palestinian initiative.
With a view to saving Israeli face while ending the siege of Gaza (and subsequently the occupation of the entire State of Palestine), the Palestinian leadership should publicly request the deployment of UN, US or NATO troops to both Gaza and the West Bank to protect both Israelis and Palestinians from further violence pending a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied State of Palestine.
Neither Israelis nor Palestinians will have peace or security until the occupation ends on either a decent two-state or a democratic one-state basis, and the current round of Gaza massacres may have produced a moment when even Western governments, notwithstanding their knee-jerk pro-Israel public pronouncements, are conscious of this reality and could, if given a significant prod and incentive to act on this consciousness, actually do so.
A Hamas spokesman on Wednesday accused Israel of having violated the temporary ceasefire on Tuesday, saying that Israel had failed to offer a serious partner for peace in ongoing negotiations in Cairo.
Hamas spokesman Moussa Abu Marzouq told Ma'an via telephone on Wednesday that Israel "ended the truce and claimed that three rockets hit Israel, which Hamas had no information about."
Abu Marzouq added that "all options" are on the table now, saying that the group was ready for peace but was not afraid of continuing to defend itself if Israel continued to choose war.
"All options are open now: a new truce, keeping the war going, or signing an agreement," he added.
He said that Egypt is currently making efforts with both sides as part of ongoing attempts to reach a lasting agreement to bring to an end a six-week Israeli assault that has left more than 2,040 Palestinians dead.
"We presented a new proposal (that offered) the least of our rights to the Egyptian side, who gave it to the Israelis yesterday. Instead of responding, they were ordered to leave," Abu Marzouq he said.
Abu Marzouq said that Israel had failed in negotiations and that on Wednesday they attempted to assassinate the military leader of Hamas' military wing, Muhammad Deif, but had failed.
Indirect negotiations between Palestinians and Israel have failed to achieve results, with Hamas accusing Israel repeatedly of "stalling" and refusing to make any concessions.
Palestinians have demanded that Israel end its eight-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the tiny coastal enclave's economy and led to widespread suffering.
Israel, however, has demanded Gaza demilitarize, a demand that Palestinian resistance groups have scoffed at.
Hamas spokesman Moussa Abu Marzouq told Ma'an via telephone on Wednesday that Israel "ended the truce and claimed that three rockets hit Israel, which Hamas had no information about."
Abu Marzouq added that "all options" are on the table now, saying that the group was ready for peace but was not afraid of continuing to defend itself if Israel continued to choose war.
"All options are open now: a new truce, keeping the war going, or signing an agreement," he added.
He said that Egypt is currently making efforts with both sides as part of ongoing attempts to reach a lasting agreement to bring to an end a six-week Israeli assault that has left more than 2,040 Palestinians dead.
"We presented a new proposal (that offered) the least of our rights to the Egyptian side, who gave it to the Israelis yesterday. Instead of responding, they were ordered to leave," Abu Marzouq he said.
Abu Marzouq said that Israel had failed in negotiations and that on Wednesday they attempted to assassinate the military leader of Hamas' military wing, Muhammad Deif, but had failed.
Indirect negotiations between Palestinians and Israel have failed to achieve results, with Hamas accusing Israel repeatedly of "stalling" and refusing to make any concessions.
Palestinians have demanded that Israel end its eight-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has crippled the tiny coastal enclave's economy and led to widespread suffering.
Israel, however, has demanded Gaza demilitarize, a demand that Palestinian resistance groups have scoffed at.
The Israeli government declared its intention to ask the UN Security Council to issue a resolution for an immediate ceasefire similarly to the 1701 resolution that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in July 2006, the Israeli army radio said. The broadcast added that it would be difficult for the Israeli negotiation delegation to return to Cairo.
Israeli warplanes bombed on Tuesday evening different targets in Gaza Strip in a new violation of the 24-hour truce while resistance factions responded by bombing Israeli targets.
On the other hand, the Israeli army called up 2000 reserve soldiers to the borders of Gaza only few hours after resuming airstrikes on the Strip.
About 2,000 reserve soldiers, who had been sent home two weeks ago when fighting seemed to have simmered down, were called up for duty again Wednesday, the army radio said.
82 thousand reserve soldiers participated in the ongoing aggression on Gaza before the start of negotiation rounds, of which 27 thousand troops were sent home.
Netanyahu: Gaza war harshest blow to Hamas since group's founding
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that the Gaza war had been the harshest blow to Hamas since its founding.
"I'm not opposed to a massive military operation in the Gaza, however, (Defense Minister Moshe) Yaalon and the leadership of the General Staff are opposed," he added.
"We will do all for the good of our country and the only thing that will decide our decision is our security."
Israeli warplanes bombed on Tuesday evening different targets in Gaza Strip in a new violation of the 24-hour truce while resistance factions responded by bombing Israeli targets.
On the other hand, the Israeli army called up 2000 reserve soldiers to the borders of Gaza only few hours after resuming airstrikes on the Strip.
About 2,000 reserve soldiers, who had been sent home two weeks ago when fighting seemed to have simmered down, were called up for duty again Wednesday, the army radio said.
82 thousand reserve soldiers participated in the ongoing aggression on Gaza before the start of negotiation rounds, of which 27 thousand troops were sent home.
Netanyahu: Gaza war harshest blow to Hamas since group's founding
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that the Gaza war had been the harshest blow to Hamas since its founding.
"I'm not opposed to a massive military operation in the Gaza, however, (Defense Minister Moshe) Yaalon and the leadership of the General Staff are opposed," he added.
"We will do all for the good of our country and the only thing that will decide our decision is our security."
A Palestinian human rights organization has called for the launch of an investigation into Israel’s potential usage of chemical weapons during its military campaign in besieged Gaza. Al-Damir Association for Human Rights said in a press statement on Wednesday: “Ever since Israel has initiated its aggression on Gaza, Palestinians and professional authorities, particularly medics, had mounting suspicions that Israel might have fired mortars and rockets that released gases similar to the ones discharged by burned trash. Israel has also used fighter drones to spray such chemical gases.”
Palestinian citizens, especially at the border areas, near to the seacoast, have been inhaling such toxic smells overnight, leading to breathing difficulties and eye and throat irritations, among many other health disorders, the report pointed out.
Medics have had mounting suspicions that Israel unleashed deadly weapons which have cut the bodies of Gaza civilians into shreds, leaving no shrapnel traces over the casualties’ bodies.
In light of such violations, Gaza medics strongly believe that the Israeli occupation has been using DTMEK-based mortars and rockets that caused several limb amputations among Palestinian civilians.
The human rights organization raised alarm bells over the repercussions of such potential Israeli violations, dubbing them “flagrant breaches of international laws.”
Al-Damir called on the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to immediately step in so as to investigate Israel’s potential use of chemical weapons and the aftermaths of such crimes on the Palestinian citizen and environment.
Palestinian citizens, especially at the border areas, near to the seacoast, have been inhaling such toxic smells overnight, leading to breathing difficulties and eye and throat irritations, among many other health disorders, the report pointed out.
Medics have had mounting suspicions that Israel unleashed deadly weapons which have cut the bodies of Gaza civilians into shreds, leaving no shrapnel traces over the casualties’ bodies.
In light of such violations, Gaza medics strongly believe that the Israeli occupation has been using DTMEK-based mortars and rockets that caused several limb amputations among Palestinian civilians.
The human rights organization raised alarm bells over the repercussions of such potential Israeli violations, dubbing them “flagrant breaches of international laws.”
Al-Damir called on the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to immediately step in so as to investigate Israel’s potential use of chemical weapons and the aftermaths of such crimes on the Palestinian citizen and environment.
Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida on Wednesday warned international airlines not to fly into Tel Aviv's airport.
During a televised speech, Abu Ubaida warned airlines not to land at Ben Gurion from 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Hamas armed wing calls for negotiations delegation to leave Cairo
Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida said in a televised speech on Wednesday that Israel had "failed" in its assault on Gaza and called upon the Palestinian negotiating delegation in Cairo to return home.
The speech comes after Israeli airstrikes killed 22 Palestinians over the course of the day, including the wife and baby child of Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif, after a temporary ceasefire unraveled late Tuesday.
Abu Ubaida slammed Israel for the killings, which Israeli military sources had previously claimed had killed Deif himself.
"We tell Israel: you have failed. All you can do is kill children and women. You have failed in all your missions," Abu Ubaida said in his speech.
"Muhammad Deif will enter Jerusalem as the head of the liberating army," he added.
He also warned international airplanes not to use Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, and warned Israelis against gathering in large numbers as the al-Qassam Brigades would renew their rocket fire on Israel.
He also warned Israelis living near Gaza not to return to their homes.
During the course of the speech, five rockets were fired into Israel. According to the Israeli military, all were intercepted, including one above Tel Aviv, two above Beersheba, and two above Ashkelon.
Abu Ubeida called upon the Palestinian negotiating team in Cairo to give up on ongoing direct talks with Israel to reach a lasting truce, after days in which Hamas has complained that Israel was "stalling" and refusing to offer any concessions.
The Palestinian negotiations delegation has repeatedly demanded that a lasting ceasefire will only come through the lifting of Israel's eight-year siege of the Gaza Strip, which has devastated the economy as a result of the severe limitation of all imports, exports, and movement of people.
Israel, however, has thus far refused the condition, which comes after nearly six weeks of bombardment that has left more than 2,040 Palestinians dead, more than 10,200 injured, and more than 100,000 homeless.
Israel has instead insisted on the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, a demand Palestinian military groups have scoffed at in the wake of the recent Israeli assault.
A fragile peace has kept over the last two weeks through repeated temporary ceasefires, which have been largely observed by both sides, as they negotiated indirectly in Cairo.
Truce talks torpedoed
The violence on Wednesday left Egyptian truce efforts in tatters, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately ordering the delegation back from Cairo.
"The rocket fire which broke the ceasefire also destroyed the foundation on which the talks in Cairo were based," Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev told AFP on Wednesday.
"The Egyptian initiative is based on a total and unconditional cessation of hostilities, which was clearly broken when rockets were fired into Israel."
Most of the Palestinian negotiators, including delegation head Azzam al-Ahmed, also left Cairo.
"We are leaving ... but we have not pulled out of negotiations," Ahmed told AFP, saying the Palestinians had handed a truce proposal to Israel and were waiting for the answer.
"We will not come back (to Cairo) until Israel responds."
The Egyptian foreign ministry expressed "profound regret at the breach of the ceasefire" and said it was working to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
Following Israel's deadly air strike, Hamas militants fired 50 rockets over the border targeting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion airport, the group said.
Throughout Wednesday Israeli airstrikes continued, and at least 180 rockets were fired into Israel.
During a televised speech, Abu Ubaida warned airlines not to land at Ben Gurion from 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Hamas armed wing calls for negotiations delegation to leave Cairo
Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida said in a televised speech on Wednesday that Israel had "failed" in its assault on Gaza and called upon the Palestinian negotiating delegation in Cairo to return home.
The speech comes after Israeli airstrikes killed 22 Palestinians over the course of the day, including the wife and baby child of Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif, after a temporary ceasefire unraveled late Tuesday.
Abu Ubaida slammed Israel for the killings, which Israeli military sources had previously claimed had killed Deif himself.
"We tell Israel: you have failed. All you can do is kill children and women. You have failed in all your missions," Abu Ubaida said in his speech.
"Muhammad Deif will enter Jerusalem as the head of the liberating army," he added.
He also warned international airplanes not to use Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, and warned Israelis against gathering in large numbers as the al-Qassam Brigades would renew their rocket fire on Israel.
He also warned Israelis living near Gaza not to return to their homes.
During the course of the speech, five rockets were fired into Israel. According to the Israeli military, all were intercepted, including one above Tel Aviv, two above Beersheba, and two above Ashkelon.
Abu Ubeida called upon the Palestinian negotiating team in Cairo to give up on ongoing direct talks with Israel to reach a lasting truce, after days in which Hamas has complained that Israel was "stalling" and refusing to offer any concessions.
The Palestinian negotiations delegation has repeatedly demanded that a lasting ceasefire will only come through the lifting of Israel's eight-year siege of the Gaza Strip, which has devastated the economy as a result of the severe limitation of all imports, exports, and movement of people.
Israel, however, has thus far refused the condition, which comes after nearly six weeks of bombardment that has left more than 2,040 Palestinians dead, more than 10,200 injured, and more than 100,000 homeless.
Israel has instead insisted on the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, a demand Palestinian military groups have scoffed at in the wake of the recent Israeli assault.
A fragile peace has kept over the last two weeks through repeated temporary ceasefires, which have been largely observed by both sides, as they negotiated indirectly in Cairo.
Truce talks torpedoed
The violence on Wednesday left Egyptian truce efforts in tatters, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately ordering the delegation back from Cairo.
"The rocket fire which broke the ceasefire also destroyed the foundation on which the talks in Cairo were based," Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev told AFP on Wednesday.
"The Egyptian initiative is based on a total and unconditional cessation of hostilities, which was clearly broken when rockets were fired into Israel."
Most of the Palestinian negotiators, including delegation head Azzam al-Ahmed, also left Cairo.
"We are leaving ... but we have not pulled out of negotiations," Ahmed told AFP, saying the Palestinians had handed a truce proposal to Israel and were waiting for the answer.
"We will not come back (to Cairo) until Israel responds."
The Egyptian foreign ministry expressed "profound regret at the breach of the ceasefire" and said it was working to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
Following Israel's deadly air strike, Hamas militants fired 50 rockets over the border targeting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion airport, the group said.
Throughout Wednesday Israeli airstrikes continued, and at least 180 rockets were fired into Israel.
Several thousand mourners on Wednesday joined the funeral procession for the wife and baby son of Hamas's military commander Muhammad Deif, angrily demanding revenge against Israel.
Firing Kalashnikovs into the air, they carried the bodies of 27-year-old Widad and her seven-month-old son Ali, who were among at least four people killed in a deadly air strike on Gaza City late on Tuesday.
The two bodies were wrapped in green Hamas flags as they were carried from the mosque to the cemetery in Jabaliya refugee camp. Mourners also carried the flag-wrapped bodies of two men killed in an air strike Wednesday on a motorcycle, both presumed Hamas militants.
"Revenge, revenge, revenge," shouted the crowd as they walked towards the cemetery waving Hamas flags and denouncing the killing of the second wife and infant son of Deif, head of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
"We were shocked when we heard that Muhammad Deif's wife had been killed. We ask Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades to avenge this killing, this massacre," said a 22-year-old mourner who gave his name as Mohammed.
"I'm like all the other people in the Gaza Strip. I am no different from the others who have lost children. This is like a tsunami," said Widad's angry father, Mustafa Harb Asfura, 56.
When his university-educated daughter married Deif seven years ago, her father feared it was a death sentence.
"My daughter knew she would die a martyr when she decided to marry Mohammed Deif. Every moment since then I've been expecting to hear that she has died," he said.
Grief-stricken, Asfura carried his tiny grandson from the family's small home in Jabaliya for prayers at the mosque, his body wrapped in a white sheet exposing his white face with bruising around the eyes.
Male relatives carried Widad's body, wrapped in a green Hamas flag and white sheet, on their shoulders.
Asfura said he had only seen his son-in-law once, when the couple married.
After that, he didn't even know where his daughter was living, such is the secrecy that surrounds Deif in his determination to avoid detection by Israel.
Widad and Deif had two daughters and a son together. She also had two sons from a first marriage, the family said.
It was not clear where the couple's two girls were when the strike happened.
Hundreds of people crowded into the mosque for the funeral prayers but there was no sign of any Hamas officials.
Addressing the mourners, a young man passed on the condolences of the Qassam Brigades and prayers were read for two other men, who died earlier on Wednesday when a rocket hit their motorcycle in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
A small group of women also entered the mosque to attend the prayers. Wearing black abayas, they stayed in a separate room, sobbing in grief.
Firing Kalashnikovs into the air, they carried the bodies of 27-year-old Widad and her seven-month-old son Ali, who were among at least four people killed in a deadly air strike on Gaza City late on Tuesday.
The two bodies were wrapped in green Hamas flags as they were carried from the mosque to the cemetery in Jabaliya refugee camp. Mourners also carried the flag-wrapped bodies of two men killed in an air strike Wednesday on a motorcycle, both presumed Hamas militants.
"Revenge, revenge, revenge," shouted the crowd as they walked towards the cemetery waving Hamas flags and denouncing the killing of the second wife and infant son of Deif, head of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
"We were shocked when we heard that Muhammad Deif's wife had been killed. We ask Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades to avenge this killing, this massacre," said a 22-year-old mourner who gave his name as Mohammed.
"I'm like all the other people in the Gaza Strip. I am no different from the others who have lost children. This is like a tsunami," said Widad's angry father, Mustafa Harb Asfura, 56.
When his university-educated daughter married Deif seven years ago, her father feared it was a death sentence.
"My daughter knew she would die a martyr when she decided to marry Mohammed Deif. Every moment since then I've been expecting to hear that she has died," he said.
Grief-stricken, Asfura carried his tiny grandson from the family's small home in Jabaliya for prayers at the mosque, his body wrapped in a white sheet exposing his white face with bruising around the eyes.
Male relatives carried Widad's body, wrapped in a green Hamas flag and white sheet, on their shoulders.
Asfura said he had only seen his son-in-law once, when the couple married.
After that, he didn't even know where his daughter was living, such is the secrecy that surrounds Deif in his determination to avoid detection by Israel.
Widad and Deif had two daughters and a son together. She also had two sons from a first marriage, the family said.
It was not clear where the couple's two girls were when the strike happened.
Hundreds of people crowded into the mosque for the funeral prayers but there was no sign of any Hamas officials.
Addressing the mourners, a young man passed on the condolences of the Qassam Brigades and prayers were read for two other men, who died earlier on Wednesday when a rocket hit their motorcycle in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
A small group of women also entered the mosque to attend the prayers. Wearing black abayas, they stayed in a separate room, sobbing in grief.
The Hamas military wing announced on Wednesday that its fighters fired two missiles at an Israeli natural gas reception station in Ashdod, a city along the coast about halfway between Tel Aviv and northern Gaza.
The group said in a statement quoted by the Hamas-affiliated news site the Palestinian Information Center that it was the first time they had targeted a "Zionist gas station" in the Mediterranean.
The group said that the station was 26 kilometers away from Gaza.
The Ashdod natural gas reception station is linked to a number of offshore gas fields, including the large Tamar gas field offshore from Haifa.
The group said in a statement quoted by the Hamas-affiliated news site the Palestinian Information Center that it was the first time they had targeted a "Zionist gas station" in the Mediterranean.
The group said that the station was 26 kilometers away from Gaza.
The Ashdod natural gas reception station is linked to a number of offshore gas fields, including the large Tamar gas field offshore from Haifa.
Page: 117 - 116 - 115 - 114 - 113 - 112 - 111 - 110 - 109 - 108 - 107 - 106 - 105 - 104 - 103 - 102 - 101 - 100
Truce violations List of names Pictures of martyrs
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
