Israel-Hamas War: After the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran dealt a major blow to the Palestinian military group and caused jubilation in Israel, the military has now said that Hamas' military chief Mohammed Deif, the mastermind of the October 7 attacks who has evaded several assassination attempts, was confirmed killed in an airstrike in July.
"The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) announces that on July 13th, 2024, IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Yunis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike," the military said. The news, if true, would mark another major victory in Israel's campaign in Gaza following Haniyeh's death.
The suspected assassination by Israel of Hamas' Haniyeh in Iran on Wednesday and Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's most senior military commander, in Beirut a few hours earlier signals a further shift in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to shift the war’s rules of engagement despite ongoing ceasefire talks. The deaths of two high-profile Hamas leaders would amount to Israel's biggest blows to Iran and its allies, particularly Hamas.
Hours after Haniyeh's death created shockwaves across the world, Netanyahu said Israel has delivered crushing blows to Iran's proxies in the Middle East and threatened to "exact a heavy price" against all forms of aggression. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its role in Haniyeh's assassination, which is its routine practice, although several ministers welcomed his killing. It is also a brief reprieve for Netanyahu, who has been under months of pressure from abroad and at home.
How Israel targeted Deif in July?
Israel carried out an airstrike on July 13 (Saturday) intended for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, which killed over 90 people in southern Gaza. At that time, a security official said it was unclear whether Deif was killed after reports that he was hiding in a building in an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone near Khan Younis.
Deif is believed to be the chief mastermind behind the Hamas-led October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and triggered the Israel-Hamas war. He has been on the top of Israel's most-wanted list for years and is believed to have escaped multiple Israeli assassination attempts in the past.
However, a senior Hamas official rebuffed the Israeli allegations of Deif hiding in the tunnel as "nonsense" and said the strike showed that Israel was not interested in reaching a ceasefire deal. "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," said Abu Zurhi.
Who is Mohammed Deif?
Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas' military wing, launched what he called 'Operation Al-Aqsa Storm' against Israel on October 7, 2023. "We've decided to say enough is enough. We announce the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, and we announce that the first strike, which targeted enemy positions, airports, and military fortifications, exceeded 5,000 missiles and shells," said the Hamas leader in a rare statement on Saturday.
Deif, a Palestinian militant, became the leader of the Hamas military wing in 2002. He was born Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri in 1965 at the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza, then occupied by Egypt and was raised by a poverty-stricken family. According to some reports, some of his family members occasionally participated in raids by armed Palestinians.
Deif has been held responsible for a wave of suicide bombing attacks that killed numerous Israeli soldiers and civilians since the first intifada. In 1996, around 50 Israelis were killed in bus bombings orchestrated by Deif and Ayyash, after which he was arrested and released in 2001. After his release, Deif orchestrated a series of deadly bombing attacks during the second intifada that again killed many Israelis.
As his status became more prominent, Israel's military and intelligence external spy agency Mossad tried to assassinate him several times, but failed. Israel's security services tried to kill him at least five times before 2021. During the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) again tried to kill him twice in vain. The first assassination attempt came in 2001, and in the next year, Deif lost an eye in an Israeli airstrike. In 2006, Israel conducted another airstrike in which Deif lost both his legs and an arm. He was rendered partially paralysed.
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