Al Jazeera airs rare footage of Hamas commander Mohammed Deif and documents said to detail 7 October planning
Al Jazeera broadcast rare archival footage of Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif on Friday evening, 30 October, in its programme “What Is Hidden Is Greater”. The footage showed Deif and other senior commanders of Hamas’s military wing meeting in tunnels, and Deif walking through a tunnel during the war, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The programme also showed Deif in an operations room, examining models of Israeli tanks and discussing a battle plan with brigade commanders. Other clips showed Deif with former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh inside a rocket manufacturing workshop.
Alongside the footage, Al Jazeera presented documents it said shed light on the planning for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. One document, dated 5 October 2023, was presented as an operational order signed by Deif after a six-hour staff meeting, setting the attack to begin at 6:30 a.m. on 7 October. Another document, said to be from a meeting in February 2023, allegedly recorded the decision to begin preparing for the attack months before it was carried out.
Those identified in the footage included Deif’s deputy, Marwan Issa, and commanders Mohammed Sinwar, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Ra’ad Sa’ad, Ahmed Randour and Rafa’a Salameh. The documents have not been independently verified; the claims about them come from Al Jazeera’s presentation, as reported by The Jerusalem Post and News in Israel.
Why it matters
Deif was one of the most secretive figures in Hamas, rarely seen in public, so footage of him meeting senior commanders is unusual. The broadcast offers a rare look at how Hamas’s military leadership is said to have planned the 7 October attack, which began the war in Gaza.
At the same time, the material should be read with care. The footage and documents were shown by Al Jazeera, and the programme’s account has not been independently checked. What is confirmed is the broadcast and what it contained, not that every document shown is genuine.
What happens next
Watch for the full programme to be shared more widely, and for any response from Israeli officials or independent analysts who examine the footage and documents. Further reporting may clarify whether more material will be released, and whether any of it can be authenticated.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-913369 (The Jerusalem Post, 31 October 2026)
- https://newsinisrael.co.uk/al-jazeera-releases-rare-footage-of-hamas-commander-muhammad-deif-and-october-7-attack-planning-documents/ (News in Israel, 31 October 2026)
