Israel reports death of terror mastermind Salama
As a Hamas officer, Rafa Salama is responsible for the massacre of October 7th. Now Israel reports the death of the brigade chief. According to reports, Salama died in an air raid near the city of Khan Younis.
Israel's army has reported the death of Hamas brigade commander Rafa Salama. "Using intelligence information, the Israeli Air Force attacked and eliminated the commander of the Khan-Younis Brigade (of Hamas), Rafa Salama, near Khan Younis," the army stated. His death "significantly hinders the military capabilities of Hamas." The terror organization initially denied Salama's death.
The Israeli announcement did not provide information on whether or not the powerful military chief of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Deif, was killed. Deif was reportedly with Salama when the Israeli Air Force bombed a Hamas complex near Khan Younis on Saturday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously stated that there was no absolute certainty regarding Deif's fate. The Hamas denied Deif's death on Saturday.
The slain Salama was described by the Israeli army as one of Deif's closest associates. He had commanded the Khan-Younis Brigade since 2016, named after the eponymous city in southern Gaza Strip. In this capacity, he was responsible for the rocket attacks that Hamas carried out from Khan Younis against Israel throughout the years.
His elimination would significantly hinder the military capabilities of Hamas, according to the army. Multiple assassination attempts against Deif had been made by the Israeli military in the past, which he survived. Both Deif and Salama are considered masterminds and planners of the October 7th massacre.
Thousands of Hamas extremists and other organizations' extremists had attacked southern Israel that day. They killed over 1,200 people and took over 250 as hostages in the Gaza Strip. The massacre was the trigger for the Gaza War.
The announcement of Rafa Salama's death by Israel marks a significant setback for Hamas, given his role as the commander of the Khan-Younis Brigade. This Israel-War casualty was involved in orchestrating rocket attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip, particularly from Khan Younis.
