Israel has confirmed that Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif was killed in the airstrike carried out by Israeli military in July 2024. This confirmation of Deif's death comes a day after top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran.
Israel's confirmation also comes after it was accused of carrying out the assassination of Haniyeh, who has been on Israel's "kill list" since the start of the war with Hamas.
"The IDF and the Shin Bet announce that in a joint operation by the IDF and the Shin Bet, on July 13, 2024, fighter jets attacked the Khan Yunis area and now, after an intelligence check, it can be confirmed that the attack killed Muhammad Daf, the commander of the military arm and several Two in the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza, which planned and carried out the murderous massacre on October 7," reads an official statement from the IDF.
Deif has been attributed as the "mastermind" of the Hamas attack of October 7. Deif was targetted in a massive strike in July 2024 in the Gaza Strip.
At the time of the strike, around 90 people, including children were killed but Deif's fate remained unknown. However, three weeks after the strike in Khan Younis, Israel has confirmed that Deif has been eliminated.
Deif, 58, whose real name is Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, had been on Israel’s most-wanted list since 1995 and had previously escaped multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
On October 7, moments before the attack, Hamas released a voice recording of Deif announcing "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood". He was believed to be the chief architect behind the Hamas attack in southern Israel will killed around 1,140 people and triggered the Israel-Hamas war.
