Israel claimed to have killed Mohammed Deif, the top military commander of Hamas, in an airstrike in southern Gaza on July 13. The announcement comes one day after the assassination of Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.
“We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated,” the Israeli military, Tsahal said.
Deif, originally born Mohammed Masri, was 58 years old and reportedly a central figure in a three-person leadership team that coordinated the attacks on southern Israel on October 7. The attacks resulted in more than 1,100 fatalities and over 200 individuals being taken captive.
There has been no response from Hamas regarding this claim. “Confirming or denying the martyrdom of any of the Qassam leaders is a matter for the leadership of the Qassam Brigades and the leadership of the movement,” Izzat al-Rashq, a Hamas member, said on Telegram, according to Al Jazeera.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant characterized Deif as “the Osama Bin Laden of Gaza” and lauded his death as a “significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza and the achievement of the goals of this war.”
He pledged that Israel’s military would continue its pursuit of Hamas members involved in the October 7 attacks, including both those who planned and those involved in executing the attack, and “would not rest until the mission is accomplished.”