ISRAEL SAYS HAMAS COMMANDER MOHAMMED DEIF KILLED

Screen grab from IDF video [Twitter]

Thu 01 August 2024:

Israel’s military says it has intelligence confirmation that Hamas commander Mohammed Deif was killed in a July 13 air strike targeting him.

The attack, which hit tents housing displaced people in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, killed more than 90 people, but there was no confirmation at the time Deif was among them. Hamas said he had evaded the assault.

Now Israel says it can confirm Deif was killed.

The IDF releases footage showing the airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis that killed Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade on July 13.

The IDF releases footage showing the airstrike in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis that killed Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade on July 13. https://t.co/wHbytGkx5X pic.twitter.com/GUgxcUsl7E

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 1, 2024

No comment from Hamas yet on Deif

There has been no immediate confirmation from the Palestinian group about the Israeli army’s claim that it has killed Hamas military commander Deif in a July 13 strike.

IDF confirms Muhammad Deif, commander of Hamas's military wing, was killed in Gaza strike last month | The Times of Israel

The head of Hamas’s military wing Muhammad Deif in an undated photo (Israel Defense Forces – via Times of Israe)

Deif’s killing ‘significant milestone’ in fight against Hamas: Gallant

Branding Hamas commander Deif as “the Osama Bin Laden of Gaza”, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has hailed his alleged killing as “a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza”.

He claimed the July 13 military operation that killed dozens of civilians as it targeted Deif “reflects the fact that Hamas is disintegrating”.

“Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated. Israel’s defense establishment will pursue Hamas terrorists – both the planners and the perpetrators of the 07.10 massacre. We will not rest until this mission is accomplished,” he said on X in English.

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‘We must not stop’: Israel’s Smotrich on alleged killing of Deif

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has claimed the alleged killing of Hamas commander Mohammed Deif signifies that “the defeat of Hamas is closer than ever”.

“We must not stop a moment before victory!” he said on X, claiming Israel has killed “many thousands of terrorists including very senior ones”.

“We will continue like this until we destroy them all, restore security and return the kidnapped people home,” Smotrich added.

How did Israel’s military target Deif?

The Israeli military carried out a massive air raid on al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian safe zone, on July 13, claiming to target Hamas commander Mohammed Deif and senior Hamas member Rafa Salama.

The bomb and missile barrage was among the bloodiest of the war, killing more than 90 Palestinians and injuring more than 300 others, including children and paramedics, prompting a global outrage.

Speaking to Al Jazeera after the assault, the UN’s special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese said Israel had likely violated international law by striking the designated humanitarian zone.

“I’m disgusted by the tolerance of Israel’s impunity which is enabling the genocidal war,” Albanese had said.

Who is Mohammed Deif?

Born in 1965 in the Khan Younis refugee camp, set up after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Mohammad Masri became known as Mohammed Deif after joining Hamas during the first Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in 1987.

Deif has a degree in sciences from the Islamic University in Gaza, where he studied physics, chemistry and biology. He headed the university’s entertainment committee and often performed on stage.

Deif was one of the founders of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in the 1990s and has led the force for more than 20 years. He is also said to be a key figure who planned suicide bombings leading to the deaths of dozens of Israelis.

Israel identified him and Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as the chief architects of the October 7 attacks on southern Israel.

On the morning of October 7, Hamas had issued a rare voice recording of Deif announcing the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, signalling the attack was payback for Israeli raids at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.

Deif, 58, rarely speaks or appears in public. So when Hamas’s TV channel announced he was to speak on October 7, Palestinians in Gaza knew something significant was afoot.

Speaking in a calm voice in the recording, Deif said Hamas had repeatedly warned Israel to stop its crimes against Palestinians, release Palestinian prisoners and halt its expropriation of Palestinian land.

“Today the rage of Al-Aqsa, the rage of our people and nation is exploding. Our mujahideen [fighters], today is your day to make this criminal understand that his time has ended,” Deif said.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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