Israel confirmed that Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza last month. This confirmation came shortly after Hamas’s top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran, an event for which Hamas has accused Israel.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on X, “We can now confirm: Mohammed Deif was eliminated,” as a large crowd gathered in Tehran for Haniyeh’s funeral.
On July 13, IDF fighter jets targeted a compound in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, where Deif and Rafa’a Salameh, commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis brigade, were believed to be located. Initially, there was no confirmation of Deif’s death, despite the Gaza Health Ministry reporting 90 Palestinians killed in the strike.
Deif was held responsible for orchestrating the October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and resulted in around 250 hostages being taken to Gaza. This incident triggered the ongoing Gaza war, now in its 10th month.
Known for his role in Hamas, Deif had evaded seven assassination attempts by Israel. He joined Hamas in 1987 and was arrested by Israel in 1989, spending 16 months in prison. Deif played a significant role in developing Hamas’s tunnel network and had expertise in bomb-making.
The consecutive killings of Deif, Haniyeh, and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr have raised concerns about a potential wider regional conflict in the Middle East.
