Israel declares Hamas military chief Deif dead
In a mid-July Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, Israel's military reports the death of Mohammed Deif. Alongside the Iranian-killed Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, he is a mastermind behind the Hamas's large-scale attack on October 7.
Israel has declared the military chief of the Islamic terror organization Hamas, Mohammed Deif, dead. Deif was reportedly killed in a massive air strike in the Gaza Strip in mid-July, according to the Israeli army. He is one of the central masterminds behind the terror attack on Israel on October 7 and was the chief of the Kassam Brigades and deputy to the Gaza chief of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar.
The army's announcement comes a day after the killing of Hamas's external chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Iran and Hamas blame Israel for the act. Israel has not responded to the accusation and has only stated that anyone who attacks the country will pay a heavy price.
The army stated that Deif's death can be confirmed based on intelligence information. Fighter jets carried out a "precise, targeted strike" against a facility where Mohammed Deif and the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade of Hamas, Rafa Salama, were located about two weeks ago, according to the statement.
Now, Yahya Sinwar is the last surviving senior leader of Hamas, which violently seized sole power in the Gaza Strip in 2007. It is suspected that he has been hiding in the tunnel network under the coastal strip since the start of the war.
Israel had set a goal of capturing or killing Hamas chief Sinwar and his deputy Deif in its war in the Gaza Strip. In March, the army confirmed the death of the third-highest Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Marwan Issa, in an air strike.
"This is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and ruling authority in the Gaza Strip and achieving the goals of this war," Defense Minister Joav Galant wrote on X about Deif's death. Israel will continue to pursue Hamas terrorists, he reiterated. "We will not rest until this mission is accomplished."
Deif and Sinwar were key planners of the massacre in Israel on October 7 last year, when around 1200 Israelis were killed and around 250 people were kidnapped to Gaza. The terror attack triggered the war.
Many dead in attack on Deif
Last month, the Israeli military bombed a fenced-off object in the humanitarian zone between Khan Junis and Al-Mawasi, which Israel claimed served as a base for Hamas terrorists. According to reports from the Hamas-controlled health authority, 90 people were killed and around 300 injured in the attack.
According to Israeli reports, commander Salama was also among the dead. A high-ranking military representative later told journalists in an online briefing that the army had extremely reliable intelligence information that Deif and Salama were in the base at the time of the attack.
In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, requested several arrest warrants. Alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Galant, several Hamas leaders - including Sinwar and Deif - were also targeted. Khan is investigating crimes during the Gaza war.
Mohammed Deif has survived numerous assassination attempts by Israel over the years. Until about six months ago, it was believed in the country that he had lost several limbs and had a multitude of physical disabilities. However, footage eventually emerged showing Deif with both arms and both legs intact.
In the 1990s, Deif was one of the founders of the military wing of Hamas and led it for decades. Under his command, Hamas carried out dozens of suicide attacks against Israelis in buses and cafes, and built up a vast arsenal of rockets, some of which reached deep into Israeli territory.
During an airstrike on a house in the Gaza Strip towards the end of the 2014 Gaza War, his wife and young son were killed. Deif managed to escape.
The announcement of Mohammed Deif's death in the Israeli strike is significant, as he was one of the masterminds behind the large-scale Hamas attack on Israel in October 7, originating from the Palestinian territories.
Following the death of Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar remains as the last surviving senior leader of Hamas in the Palestinian territories, where Hamas violently seized power in 2007.
