Videos said to show reports of Deif’s paraplegic status are greatly exaggerated

An Israeli report suggests that elusive Hamas military wing leader Mohammed Deif is not only alive, but in better shape than many had previously thought.

The report by Ben Caspit of Maariv cites video evidence of Deif apparently found by troops in Gaza recently, showing the arch-terrorist walking under his own power with what appear to be his own legs, albeit with a slight limp.

Little is known of Deif, but oft-repeated reports in Israel for over a decade have described him as missing both his legs and an arm, the result of an Israeli airstrike, one of at least five failed Israeli attempts on his life.

Aside from legs, Deif also appears to have his arm. The report does not say if reports of him losing an eye in an earlier assassination attempt are also exaggerated.

Unlike many others in Hamas, Deif has lived his life in the shadows, and pictures or videos of him are extremely rare.

The Shin Bet security service “wouldn’t recognise him if they passed him on the street,” investigative journalist Shlomi Eldar told The Economist recently.

There is no confirmation of the Maariv report.