The news comes a day after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran.
Topline
Israeli military forces said Thursday they killed Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif in an operation in mid-July, which would be the highest-ranking Hamas military official to be killed so far in the war, coming just a day after the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh—though it remains to be seen how the moves will affect ceasefire negotiations.Key Facts
Deif was killed on July 13, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallan said on X, describing the Hamas leader as the “Osama Bin Laden of Gaza” and saying his death “is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war.”
Hamas has not yet confirmed the killing, with a statement by Hamas official Izzat Al Rishq on Telegram quoted by CNN saying unless the group’s leadership announces it, “no news published in the media or by any other parties can be confirmed.”
Israeli officials told CNN they had only just received new intelligence that confirmed Deif’s killing, which the outlet notes took place as part of a strike in a humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip that also killed 90 Palestinians.
Deif was second-in-command in the Hamas military and is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the October 7 attacks in Israel, saying in a recorded speech Hamas launched the attack so that “the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended,” as quoted by The New York Times.
