Israeli Army Confirms Death of Mohammed Deif, Hamas Military Commander, After Three Weeks

The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday, August 2, that Mohammed Deif, the commander of Hamas's military wing, was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month in southern Gaza. The Israeli army stated that information confirming his death was obtained in the past few hours. The airstrike on Saturday, July 14, targeted the hideout of Mohammed Deif, the commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and several other commanders of the group supported by the Islamic Republic in western Khan Younis, resulting in the deaths of dozens. Israeli army radio announced at that time that Mohammed Deif had been hiding in a building located in the al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis. The Saudi news channel Al-Hadath reported that Raef Salameh, the Hamas commander in Khan Younis, was killed during the attack, and Mohammed Deif was severely injured. Mohammed Deif is at the top of the list of individuals wanted by Israel and is referred to as one of the main architects of the terrorist attack on October 7 of last year, in which 1,200 citizens, mostly civilians including women, children, and the elderly, were killed, and over 250 others were taken hostage. He is responsible for planning dozens of deadly attacks on Israeli citizens since the mid-1990s and is one of the designers of Hamas tunnels and the bombs used to attack Israeli civilians, having survived several assassination attempts by Israel. Hamas claims that at least 71 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli army's attack aimed at eliminating Mohammed Deif. The militant group has not mentioned the number of militants killed in this attack, as per its usual practice. Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported, citing military sources, that several other Hamas operatives were present in the civilian area at the time of the attack. The Israeli army also released two images of the attack site before and after the strike, stating that 'two main Hamas targets and other terrorists' were hiding among civilians. The country has repeatedly emphasized that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. According to the Israeli army, 'the area that was attacked was an open and wooded area with several buildings and warehouses.' Following the attack on Saturday, Yoav Gallant, Israel's Minister of Defense, held a meeting with Herzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, and Ronen Bar, the head of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet). Minutes after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement declaring that he had ordered the elimination of senior Hamas leaders since the beginning of the invasion of Gaza. According to this statement, he held a meeting with security and military officials to discuss developments and next steps. The Israeli attack on the hideout of Hamas leaders coincided with negotiations to establish a ceasefire and return hostages taken by Hamas, and it is unclear what impact this will have on the negotiation process. Netanyahu's office dismissed reports of Israeli forces retreating from the Gaza and Egypt border as 'fake.'