Israel said Sunday that Rafa Salama, a top commander of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, was killed in a deadly airstrike. Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza said the airstrike targeted a refugee camp and killed at least 90 people.
Hamas, meanwhile, denies reports that negotiations over a ceasefire and the return of the remaining hostages in the Qatari capital Doha have failed after the attack.
Salama was a key target of Saturday’s attack, along with Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza. The pair have been described by Israel as “the masterminds behind the October 7 massacre” that sparked the current conflict.
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Salama had been “eliminated,” but made no mention of Deif.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously stated that there was still no absolute certainty about Deif’s fate, while a Hamas representative in the Lebanese capital Beirut said on Sunday that Deif had not been killed.
The IDF described Salama as one of Deif’s closest associates and said his death would severely damage Hamas’ military capabilities. Salama led the Khan Younis Brigade in southern Gaza and was responsible for numerous rocket attacks on Israel in recent years, the IDF said.
Palestinian doctors reported that at least 90 people were killed and hundreds injured in Saturday’s attack after tents for displaced people in the al-Mawasi camp were hit.
According to the IDF, the attack “was carried out in a fenced area controlled by Hamas where, according to information from the IDF, only Hamas terrorists and no civilians were present.”
No failure in negotiations
Despite the deadly airstrike, Hamas continued to insist on Sunday that indirect ceasefire negotiations with Israel were still underway.
According to Israeli media, the head of Israel’s foreign intelligence service, Daniel Barnea, plans to travel to the Qatari capital Doha in the coming days for a new round of talks.
The negotiations, which have been going on for months, revolve around the exchange of the remaining Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
The indirect talks are progressing slowly as Israel continues to reject Hamas’ demand for a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas says 15 dead after air raid at refugee camp
Also on Sunday, Hamas reported that about 15 people were killed and dozens injured in an airstrike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army had previously stated that it had attacked several Hamas fighters near a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which it said was being used by Hamas as a hideout and operational base.
The Israeli military has taken several measures to minimize the risk to civilians, they added.
The claims of both parties could not be independently verified.
It comes after a recent Israeli airstrike on a school building in Nuseirat where the military said several militants were hiding. The Israeli military said precision munitions were used to minimize civilian casualties.
