GAZA CITY: The Israeli military has announced the death of Mohammed Deif, a top military commander of Hamas, in an airstrike conducted on July 13 in southern Gaza.
“We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated,” the Israeli military stated, as reported by Al Jazeera on Thursday.
However, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has not yet confirmed Deif’s death.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described Deif as “the Osama Bin Laden of Gaza” and called his death “a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza.”
“Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated. Israel’s defense establishment will pursue Hamas terrorists – both the planners and the perpetrators of the 07.10 massacre. We will not rest until this mission is accomplished,” Gallant posted on social media platform X.
Deif was reportedly targeted in an attack that resulted in the deaths of at least 90 people and injuries to 300 in al-Mawasi, a designated safe zone in the west of Khan Younis.
This development comes a day after Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in a missile attack in Tehran on Wednesday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their residence was struck in Tehran.