Israel on Saturday said it targeted Hamas’ military commander Mohammed Deif in a major strike in the southern Gaza Strip that has killed at least 71 people, according to local health officials. It was not immediately clear if Deif was among the casualties but Israeli officials confirmed he and another Hamas commander Rafa Salama were the targets. Dief is Israel’s most wanted leader and believed to be an architect of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
On the other side, Hamas rejected Israel’s claim of assassination. “This is not the first time that the occupation has claimed to target Palestinian leaders, and their lies were later proven to be false,” the group said in a post on X.
Jihad Taha, a Hamas spokesperson, added that the claims Deif was the target of the strike is a “baseless statement” and “comes in the context of justifying and covering up the crimes and massacres.”
Associated Press reported over 40 bodies at the scene, with witnesses recounting an attack involving multiple strikes. Footage from the aftermath revealed charred tents, burnt-out cars, and scattered household items on the blackened ground. Emergency workers and displaced Palestinians, affected by the nine-month war, searched for survivors amidst the destruction, some using carpets to carry bodies.
Associated Press journalists reported over 40 bodies at the scene, with witnesses recounting an attack involving multiple strikes. Footage from the aftermath revealed charred tents, burnt-out cars, and scattered household items on the blackened ground. Emergency workers and displaced Palestinians, affected by the nine-month war, searched for survivors amidst the destruction, some using carpets to carry bodies.
Witnesses said the strike hit Muwasi, a designated safe zone stretching from northern Rafah to Khan Younis, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sought refuge, primarily in makeshift tents. “This was designated as a safe zone filled with people from the north,” said one displaced Palestinian man, who chose to remain anonymous. “Children were killed and we had to gather their body parts.” An Israeli official stated the strike occurred within a fenced area of Khan Younis controlled by Hamas but did not specify the exact location.
This latest deadly strike occurs as U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari mediators work to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas regarding a proposed three-phase ceasefire and hostage release plan in Gaza. Mohammed Deif, who has been in hiding for over two decades and is believed to be paralyzed from multiple assassination attempts, is central to these negotiations.
With inputs from agencies.