Politics Israel declares Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif dead
Israel has declared the military chief of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, Mohammed Deif, dead. Deif was killed in mid-July during a massive airstrike in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced. He is considered one of the central masterminds of the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and was head of the Kassam Brigades and deputy to the Gaza head of Hamas, Jihia al-Sinwar.
01.08.2024, 11:05
SDA
The army's announcement comes a day after the killing of Hamas' foreign chief, Ismail Haniya, in Tehran. Iran and Hamas accuse Israel of being responsible. Israel has not commented on the accusation and has merely stated that anyone who attacks the country will pay a high price.
The army said that the death of Deif could be confirmed on the basis of intelligence information. Fighter jets had carried out a "precise, targeted strike against a facility where Mohammed Deif and the commander of Hamas' Chan Junis Brigade, Rafa Salama, were staying" just over two weeks ago, the statement said.
A war target
Israel had made it an objective of its war in the Gaza Strip to capture or kill Hamas leader Sinwar and his deputy Deif. In March, the army confirmed the killing of the third most senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Marwan Issa, in an airstrike.
Deif and Sinwar are considered the main planners of the massacre in Israel on October 7 last year. At that time, around 1200 Israelis were killed and around 250 people were deported to Gaza. The terrorist attack triggered the war.
Many dead in attack on Deif
Last month, the Israeli military bombed a fenced-off object in the humanitarian zone between Chan Junis and Al-Mawasi, which according to Israel served as a base for Hamas terrorists. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, 90 people were killed in the attack and a further 300 were injured.
According to Israel, Commander Salama was among the dead. The army had extremely reliable intelligence information that Deif and Salama were in the base at the time of the attack, said a high-ranking military representative in an online briefing for journalists afterwards.
Survived numerous attempts to kill
In May, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, requested several arrest warrants. In addition to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Galant, several Hamas leaders - including Sinwar and Deif. Khan is prosecuting crimes committed during the Gaza war.
Deif had survived numerous attempts by Israel to kill him over the years. Until just over six months ago, it was assumed in the country that Deif had lost several limbs and had a number of physical disabilities. Until footage finally emerged showing Deif with both arms and both legs.
His wife and young son were killed in an airstrike on a house in the Gaza Strip towards the end of the Gaza war in 2014. Deif was able to escape.
