Dozens Dead in Gaza: Israel Aims at Hamas Leader Mohammad Deif

An Israeli official has confirmed that Mohammad Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing, was the target of Saturday’s Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, mentioned that Rafa Salama, another senior Hamas official, was also targeted in the strike.

Details about whether the two targets were killed were not provided.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 71 people were killed in the attack.

Additionally, the ministry stated that 289 others were injured, with many of the injured and deceased taken to the nearby Nasser Hospital.

At the hospital, Associated Press journalists counted over 40 bodies, and witnesses described an attack involving multiple strikes.

It is unclear if the strike hit Muwasi, an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone that stretches from northern Rafah to Khan Younis. This coastal strip has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, who are mostly sheltering in makeshift tents.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on October 7, where militants stormed into southern Israel, reportedly killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting approximately 250.

Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed over 38,300 people in Gaza and injured more than 88,000, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. More than 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, with most now crowded into squalid tent camps, facing widespread hunger.