Israel strikes Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif – mastermind of Oct 7 invasion believed dead but no official confirmation yet

Israel Defense Forces struck a site in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone near Khan Younis in an attempt to kill Hamas' senior military commander Mohammed Deif, the IDF stated on Saturday.

Deif, who has been at the top of Israel’s most-wanted list for decades for his role in planning and carrying out terror attacks against Israelis, has been leading Hamas' military wing and was one of the principal planners in the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion. 

Israel has attempted to eliminate Deif on at least seven occasions over the years, with the most recent attempt in 2021. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening: "There is still no absolute certainty that Deif and Salamah have been eliminated, but I guarantee that we will reach the top of Hamas."

"At the beginning of the campaign, I established a rule – the murderers of Hamas have to die. The elimination of senior Hamas officials advances the achievement of all our goals. It also promotes the goals in other arenas, it sends a deterring message... Many ask when the war will end. The answer is, only when we achieve all the goals of the war," Netanyahu said.

Israeli media outlets cited anonymous political officials saying there was a growing likelihood Deif had been killed, adding that according to the IDF’s assessments, no hostages were held at the site when the strike was carried out.

The IDF released a statement shortly after the attack which did not mention Deif directly.

In a joint IDF and ISA activity based on precise intelligence, the IDF's Southern Command and the IAF carried out a strike in an area where two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists hid among civilians. The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees,… pic.twitter.com/1MEJYHHwm7

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 13, 2024

According to the statement, the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency(Shin Bet) – “based on precise intelligence” – carried out a strike “in an area where two senior Hamas terrorists and additional terrorists hid among civilians.” 

The IDF described the location of the strike as “an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, and sheds.” 

Israeli media later reported that Deif was the main target of the strike, along with Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade.

"Regarding Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh, there is a higher certainty that he was indeed eliminated because it is a compound in Khan Yunis that belonged to him as the commander of the regional brigade," Army Radio reported.

The intelligence confirming Deif's presence at the location was defined by the IDF as "very strong and very accurate" and also affirmed there were several cross-checks and verifications about his presence at the location.

Following the strike, the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry claimed that over 70 people were killed as a result.

While Al-Mawasi is designated by Israel as a humanitarian zone, the IDF released images shortly following the strike, showing that the targeted building was in a fenced-in Hamas compound, not in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians.

The IDF estimates that several dozen Hamas operatives were in the area of the site at the time of the airstrike. 

Images released on social media following the operation showed destroyed tents and the bodies of several civilians, including many young men but also women and children. It is unclear how many among them were civilians, though the IDF estimates that many are likely Hamas fighters. 

An IDF official said the military has not yet confirmed whether Deif was killed. 

"We are still checking and verifying the results of the strike,” he told Reuters in the afternoon.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhr told Reuters, "All the martyrs are civilians and what happened was a grave escalation of the war of genocide, backed by the American support and world silence." 

He claimed the strike was proof that Israel does not seek a ceasefire deal. 

Early on Saturday evening, Netanyahu convened a high-level meeting with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, the directors of Mossad foreign intelligence and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence, as well as several other security officials.

According to Army Radio, after the meeting, Gallant ordered the IDF to increase its preparedness on all fronts to prevent retaliatory attacks in the event that Deif was, indeed, eliminated.