07/13/2024

Israeli Strike Targets Hamas' Military Commander

The attack also killed at least 90 in southern Gaza

Israel said it targeted Hamas’ shadowy military commander in a massive strike Saturday in the crowded southern Gaza Strip that killed at least 90 people including children, according to local health officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “there still isn’t absolute certainty” that Mohammed Deif and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were killed.

Hamas rejected the claim that Deif was in the area, saying "these false claims are merely a cover-up for the scale of the horrific massacre." The strike took place in an area Israel’s military had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Deif and Hamas’ top official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, are believed by Israel to be the chief architects of the Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Not seen in public for years, Deif has long topped Israel’s most-wanted list and is believed to have escaped multiple Israeli assassination attempts. On Oct. 7, Hamas issued a rare voice recording of Deif announcing the "Al Aqsa Flood" operation.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Associated Press.