Gaza: An Israeli airstrike intended for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif has killed at least 71 Palestinians in southern Gaza on Saturday, according to health officials, possibly dealing another blow in the ongoing peace talks over the nine-month conflict. 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.
The Gaza health ministry said at least 71 Palestinians had been killed in the strike and 289 injured. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant was holding special consultations, his office said, in light of "developments in Gaza", with no details emerging as of now as to how this deadly attack would impact ceasefire talks that are underway in Qatar and Egypt.
'Israel not interested in ceasefire'
Witnesses said the attack was a surprise as the area had been calm, adding more than one missile had been fired. Some of the wounded, who were being evacuated were rescue workers, they said. "They're all gone, my whole family's gone.. where are my brothers? They're all gone, they're all gone. There's no one left," said one tearful woman, who did not give her name.
Meanwhile, 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.
Meanwhile, the security official said Rafa Salama, another top Hamas official, was also targeted in the strike. The official did not have details on whether the two targets were killed. Israeli military offensive has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza and wounded over 88,000, with a majority of the population being driven out of their homes and facing widespread hunger.
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.
(with inputs from agencies)
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