Hamas navy chief killed in air strike, Israel says

Israel’s navy says it has confirmed that Hamas’s navy chief Mohammed Deif was killed in an Israeli air strike within the Gaza Strip final month.

Deif was focused within the strike on a compound within the Khan Younis space on 13 July. Hamas is but to substantiate his demise.

Israel says Deif was one of many figures accountable for planning the 7 October assaults in southern Israel during which 1,200 folks have been killed and 251 taken hostage.

On Wednesday, Hamas political chief Ismael Haniyeh was killed throughout a go to to Iran. Israel has not commented on his demise straight.

In an announcement on Thursday, the Israeli navy stated that “following an intelligence evaluation, it may be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eradicated” within the 13 July strike.

Gaza’s Hamas-run well being authorities stated on the time that the air strike had killed greater than 90 folks, however denied that Deif was among the many useless.

Deif was broadly seen because the second-ranking Hamas official in Gaza, behind Yahya Sinwar, the group’s chief within the territory.

Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, stated the demise of Deif is “a major milestone” within the dismantling of Hamas.

“This operation displays the truth that Hamas is disintegrating, and that Hamas terrorists could both give up or they are going to be eradicated,” he added.

Mohammed Deif was appointed head of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the navy arm of the Hamas motion, in 2002.

For many years he is been seen as certainly one of Israel’s most wished males – and survived a reported seven assassination makes an attempt.

Reviews in Israeli and Palestinian media say that Deif was born in Gaza’s Khan Yunis refugee camp in 1965, when the territory was occupied by Egypt.

As a younger man within the Nineteen Eighties, he joined Hamas and rapidly rose to prominence.

Israel accused him of planning and supervising bus bombings which killed tens of Israelis in 1996, and of involvement within the seize and killing of three Israeli troopers within the mid-Nineties.

Deif can be recognized to have helped engineer the development of tunnels which have allowed Hamas fighters to enter Israel from Gaza.

In 2014, Israel tried to kill Deif with an air strike on a home within the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza, which killed Deif’s spouse, Widad, and their toddler son, Ali. Israel thought it had killed Deif, too, however he was not within the constructing on the time.

Through the present battle, Deif is believed to have directed Hamas’ navy operations from inside underground tunnels inside Gaza.

Israel’s affirmation of Deif’s demise comes on the finish of a turbulent week within the Israel-Gaza battle, which has stoked fears of a broader regional battle.

On Saturday, 12 Israeli kids and younger folks have been killed after a rocket fell on a soccer area within the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Lebanon-based Hezbollah, saying they might pay “a heavy worth”.

On Tuesday, Israel retorted with air strike on Beirut which killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, in addition to 4 others, together with two kids.

Hours later, Hamas’s political chief Ismael Haniyeh was killed in a strike on a constructing he was staying in throughout a go to to Iran’s capital, Tehran.