Israel Claims Hamas Military Chief Deif Killed in July Strike

The Israeli military announced on Thursday that it has confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza this past July.

Israel’s strike on July 13 targeted a compound near Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Initially, the military was uncertain about Deif’s fate but stated that more than 90 people, including displaced civilians in nearby tents, were killed in the attack. Hamas has denied Deif’s death.

In its Thursday statement, the Israeli military confirmed that “following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike.”

Hamas has not yet responded to this confirmation.

This confirmation comes a day after a presumed Israeli airstrike in Tehran killed Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for this attack, but Iran has vowed to retaliate. Alongside Deif and Haniyeh, Israel has also targeted Hamas’ top leader in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, who remains at large.

Israel asserts that Sinwar and Deif orchestrated the October 7 attack in which Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of approximately 250 others.

Mohammed Deif was a founding member of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in the 1990s. Under his leadership, the unit conducted numerous suicide bombings against Israelis on buses and in cafes, and developed a significant arsenal of rockets capable of striking deep into Israel.