War in Gaza - Geisel-Deal after Israel's attack on Hamas military leader on the Gaza Strip
After an Israeli air raid in the southern Gaza Strip with dozens of fatalities, the prospects for a weapons truce and the release of hostages by Hamas are uncertain. All options are open, including the termination of indirect negotiations, said Khalil al-Hajja, the deputy head of the Islamist organization, to the Arab television channel Al Jazeera. The military leader of Hamas in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, was not killed in the Israeli raid, according to Hamas.
"Mohammed Deif is alive and continues to command the resistance against the Israeli enemy," said Hamas functionary Ali Barakeh to the German Press Agency in Beirut. Israel's army targeted the military commander of Hamas in the western part of the city of Khan Younis, according to their own statements. None of the statements could be independently verified at first. "I tell Netanyahu that Muhammad Al-Deif hears you and refutes your lies," was quoted by al-Hajja.
At least 300 more people were reportedly injured in the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi by the Hamas-controlled health authority. "The attack was carried out in an enclosed area controlled by Hamas, where, according to our information, only Hamas terrorists and no civilians were present," the Israeli army stated. "It was a precise attack." It is suspected that most of the victims were also terrorists. None of the statements could be independently verified.
Netanyahu is checking if Deif, as well as Rafah Salama, the commander of the Khan-Younis Brigade of Hamas, were killed in the air raid, the Israeli army stated. "There is still no absolute certainty," Netanyahu said before the press in Tel Aviv. The Hamas men were allegedly the masterminds behind the massacre of October 7 in Israel. The massacre over nine months ago was the trigger for the Gaza war. Palestinian sources reported that at least 90 people were killed in Israel's latest air raid.
A representative of the Israeli military acknowledged in an online briefing that the targeted object was located in the humanitarian zone west of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. "But it was a fortified, guarded Hamas base, occupied by terrorists," added the army representative. The military is also certain that no Israeli hostages were present at the time of the attack. Israel intends to eliminate the entire Hamas leadership, Netanyahu said at a press conference.
Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu was accused by Israelis of being responsible for the hostage debacle [Israeli military spokesman's statement, Israeli Prime Minister's press conference, Hamas statements to Al Jazeera]
The head of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, Daniel Barnea, intends to travel to the Qatari capital Doha for another round of talks in the coming days, Kan Israeli radio reported. The plans for the indirect negotiations seem to have not been disrupted by Israel's latest attempt to kill the Hamas military chief, according to the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz."
Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis protested again for a deal to bring the roughly 120 hostages held by Hamas home. Participants in demonstrations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of sabotaging the indirect negotiations to reach such an agreement. "We demand that you stop sabotaging the deal, we demand that you sign it," a mother of a hostage was quoted by Israeli media.
"Netanyahu is making the hostages ready," read a large sign carried by demonstrators in Tel Aviv. A former hostage spoke: "I may look okay on the outside, but the pain is weighing on me more than anyone can imagine." He was one of the lucky ones who had been held in a house and not in a tunnel. "If I suffered under brutal conditions and mistreatment, what about the other 120 hostages?" the man said.
Israel responds to Hizballah shelling
The Israeli Air Force attacked Hizballah positions in southern Lebanon in response to shelling from the pro-Iranian Hizballah. According to the Israeli military's announcement in the evening, the installation was bombed from which shots had previously been fired towards northern Israel. In addition, a series of "terrorist infrastructures" of Hizballah were attacked, according to a brief statement. No further details were provided. The information could not be verified independently at first.
Israel and the Lebanese Shia militia have been engaging in near-daily battles since the start of the Gaza War. Intensity has recently increased significantly on both sides, resulting in fatalities. The Hizballah militia acts in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas in Gaza. The conflict has been feared to spread for a long time.
Attack also in Syria
According to Israel's military announcement in the evening, two drones had approached Israel from Syrian territory. They were intercepted. In the night, the Air Force attacked a command center and terror infrastructures used by the Syrian military air defense unit, the statement said. The information could not be verified independently at first.
According to Syrian army reports, a Syrian soldier was killed and three others were injured in Israeli air raids on military installations and a house in Damascus, Asharq Al-Awsat reported in the morning. These reports could also not be independently verified at first.
According to unconfirmed Arab reports, the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Syria was killed in the attack. Israel's Air Force frequently bombs targets in the neighboring country. The Jewish state aims to prevent its arch-enemy Iran and its allied militias from expanding their military influence in the country with these attacks. Iran is one of Syria's most important allies.
- Despite claiming that Mohammed Deif, the military leader of Hamas in Gaza, was not harmed during the Israeli air raid, concerns remain about the potential impact on negotiations for a weapons truce and hostage releases by Hamas.
- The Israeli attack on the western part of the city of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip reportedly targeted the military commander of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, and Rafah Salama, the commander of the Khan-Younis Brigade, but the status of their survival remains unclear.
- Following the Israeli air raid in the Gaza Strip that resulted in numerous casualties, the head of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, called on world leaders to intervene and halt the violence, specifically mentioning the Gaza Strip and the Air raid on the civilian area.
