1st August 2024 – (Gaza) The Israeli military has announced that it has killed Hamas’ military chief, Mohammed Deif, in a strike carried out last month in Gaza. The announcement comes a day after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which was announced by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hamas.
According to the Israeli military, the strike on 13th July, 2024, targeted the area of Khan Younis in Gaza and successfully eliminated Deif, who was considered one of Israel’s most wanted men for nearly three decades. Deif was also on a United States list of “international terrorists” since 2015.
“The IDF (Israeli army) announces that on 13th July, 2024, IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Younis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike,” the military said in a statement.
Deif was accused of planning and executing the 7th October, 2024 massacre in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The military said Deif had over the years carried out several attacks against Israel and commanded Hamas’ terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip.
The strike that killed Deif is believed to have used a 2,000-pound bomb, which left a giant crater around the house where he was said to have taken refuge with one of his deputies. At the time, Hamas denied that Deif was among the more than 90 people killed in the July 13th strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously stated that there was “no certainty” that Deif had been killed in the strike, but the military’s confirmation on Thursday marks a significant blow to the militant group’s leadership.
The killing of Deif comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with the recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Analysts have warned that Iran’s response to Haniyeh’s killing could dictate the possibility of a wider war in the region.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has had a devastating impact on the people of Gaza, with the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reporting that Israel’s retaliatory military campaign since the October 7th attack has killed 39,480 people.
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