According to the Israeli military, Mohammed Deif, the elusive leader of Hamas’s military wing in the Gaza Strip and suspected mastermind behind the October 7 attack, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis on July 13.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Deif the “Osama Bin Laden of Gaza” in a social media post.
“This is an important milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governmental entity in Gaza, and in achieving the goals of this war,” he wrote on Thursday.
One of Israel’s central goals in the nearly 10-month war was to capture or kill Deif and the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Sinwar. Al-Sinwar is reportedly still at large.
The third highest Hamas leader in Gaza, Marwan Issa, was assassinated in March.
Deif’s fate had been speculated about for weeks, but it was only on Thursday that the Israeli military (IDF) confirmed that he had been killed in an airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.
According to Gaza health authorities, some 90 Palestinians were also killed in the attack on Deif.
Gallant said the operation was carried out “meticulously and professionally.”
“The IDF announces that on July 13, 2024, IDF warplanes carried out a strike in the Khan Younis area, and following an intelligence review, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike,” the IDF said in a statement.
“Deif was the one who initiated, planned and executed the October 7 massacre, which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military said.
“Over the years, Deif has directed, planned and executed numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said.
The confirmation of Deif’s death comes shortly after an attack in Tehran that killed top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the death of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
In response to Haniyeh’s death, Hamas called for a “day of rage” in the West Bank on Friday. Haniyeh was killed in the early hours of Wednesday morning in an attack on the home where he was staying in Tehran.
Both Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of the killing and vowed retaliation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for his death.
Hamas issued a statement calling on Palestinians to pray for Haniyeh during Friday prayers in mosques.
“May marches of anger begin from every mosque to condemn the cowardly crime of murder,” the Hamas statement said.
After the funeral service in Tehran, Haniyeh, who lived in exile in Qatar, will be buried in Doha on Friday.
The militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has close ties to Hamas and both are backed by Iran.
Israel’s enemies have expressed outrage over Haniyeh’s killing and are demanding retaliation.
The al-Qassam Brigades, which Deif led before his death, said Israel “will pay the price for its aggression.”
Thousands of people took part in a state-organized mourning ceremony for Haniyeh in the Iranian capital on Thursday.
Iran’s entire political elite was also present, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and new President Massud Peseshkian
The Israeli military has been put on high alert in anticipation of possible retaliatory strikes by Iran and its allies. Israeli radio reported that the country’s air defenses were also on the highest level of alert.
Israeli fighter jets patrolled the country’s airspace and ground forces on the borders increased their operational readiness, Israeli radio reported Thursday.