Netanyahu Says He Is 'Not Completely Sure' Hamas Military Chief Has Been Killed

Israel announced its military operation in the outskirts of Khan Younis aimed at killing Mohammed Deif, the commander of the military branch of the extremist group Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. According to Reuters, the area targeted and bombed by the Israeli army on Saturday, July 23, was a 'declared safe zone' for civilians. The Gaza Health Ministry, operating under Hamas, reports that at least 90 Palestinians were killed and about 290 were injured in this attack. Benjamin Netanyahu stated hours after the attack in a press conference that he is 'not completely sure' that Mohammed Deif was killed in this Israeli strike. The Israeli Prime Minister also promised that his country would eliminate all members of Hamas leadership by any means necessary. He also announced that he approved the attack when he was sure that no Israeli hostages were nearby. Just hours before this news, the Israeli army announced that in an airstrike on Gaza, in cooperation with Jordan, it succeeded in killing Hussam Mansour, a senior member of Hamas. Israeli media reported that the Israeli army and its military intelligence had precise information about Mohammed Deif's exit from secret tunnels and participation in a meeting in the al-Mawasi camp, leading to the attack on Saturday morning. The assessment of the army and 'Aman,' the military intelligence organization, was that Mohammed Deif was 'severely injured' in this attack. Hamas denied that Mohammed Deif was targeted, stating that Israel claims to have targeted the number two of Hamas to 'justify' this attack. Meanwhile, the Israeli army also announced that it targeted Raef Salameh, the commander of Hamas's brigade in Khan Younis, in this attack. The al-Mawasi camp is one of the designated safe areas that the Israeli army had repeatedly warned Palestinians to go to after issuing evacuation orders. The Israeli army claimed that it targeted a location where 'terrorists were hiding among civilians.' In its statement, the Israeli army mentioned that the site hit was not a tent camp but rather a Hamas operational complex. However, Reuters published videos showing ambulances moving towards the targeted site amid smoke, with displaced people, including women and children, fleeing in panic while carrying their belongings. Mohammed Deif is mentioned alongside Yahya Sinwar as the main planners of the group's attack on Israel on October 7 last year. Israel has attempted to assassinate Mohammed Deif multiple times over the past two decades, but he has managed to recover his abilities over the years after being severely injured and disabled at least twice. From Israel's perspective, Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, the commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and his deputy Marwan Issa are the first to third most important figures in Hamas, with Israel successfully killing Marwan Issa last March and now reporting the attack on Mohammed Deif. The United States confirmed the killing of Marwan Issa, the third in Hamas. In the early days following the Hamas attack on Israel, the Israeli army publicly displayed images of Mohammed Deif taken before the Hamas attack on Israel. The Kan network in Israel reported that the army estimated that no Israeli hostages were near Mohammed Deif at the time of today's attack. Hamas has remained silent regarding reports of Mohammed Deif being targeted near Khan Younis, just as it has not reacted quickly in the past to Israeli operations against key military figures of the group like Marwan Issa. However, the Israeli army confirmed the attack on Deif, and Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a statement that he had ordered the army to eliminate Deif since the beginning of the war. The Israeli army has so far eliminated several prominent Hamas figures and dozens of other members of the group, but Mohammed Deif and Yahya Sinwar have survived during the more than nine months of war in Gaza. Just hours before this news, the Israeli army announced that in cooperation with Jordan, it succeeded in killing Hussam Mansour, a senior member of the extremist group Hamas, in an airstrike on Gaza. The Israeli army emphasized that its fighter jets killed Hussam Mansour, a senior member of Hamas's internal security, in an attack guided by Jordanian intelligence. This operation is one of the rare security collaborations between Israel and Jordan that Israeli officials have openly discussed. The Israeli Defense Ministry's account on X published a photo of Hussam Mansour and announced his death, stating that this Hamas member was one of the managers of the 'Al-Khayr' foundation, which allegedly provided financial assistance to 'terrorist organizations' while disguising these actions as humanitarian activities. In this tweet, Hussam Mansour was described as 'a member of a fake charity by day and a terrorist by night.' This news comes after a humanitarian advocacy group in Britain reported the killing of four aid workers, including one of its senior staff, by Israel in the safe area of Gaza. The Al-Khayr foundation also announced that three employees from other aid groups using a warehouse were killed in this attack. Tensions between Israel and aid groups, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), have escalated following the Hamas attack on Israel. Israel has accused UNRWA of complicity among some of its staff with the extremist group Hamas in the October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people. These accusations became public when UNRWA announced that it had dismissed several of its employees after receiving information from Israel. The Hamas attack on October 7 last year triggered the war in Gaza, which has so far resulted in over 38,000 deaths and continues. Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister, announced on July 20 that '60 percent' of Hamas militants have been killed or wounded as a result of Israel's attacks over the past nine months in the Gaza Strip.