The Israeli prime minister says there is still no confirmation of the death of the alleged perpetrator of the October 7 attack. At least 90 people were killed in the bombing of the refugee camp near Khan Younis, many of them children.
At least 90 people were killed, including many children, and more than 300 were injured in the Israeli bombing of the Al Mawasi refugee camp. The attack targeted Hamas second-in-command Mohammed Deif. In a video speech, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahusaid “there is still no absolute certainty” that Deif was murdered.
According to Hamas, Mohamed Deif was not in the area bombed by Israel. “Commander Mohammed Deif is fine and directly supervises military operations against Israeli forces,” an unnamed Hamas official told the AFP news agency, according to pan-Arab broadcaster ‘Al Jazeera’. The attack took place in an area that the army had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
“The State of Israel, through the IDF and the Shin Bet, attacked Gaza today with the aim of obstructing Mohamed Deif and his deputy, Rafa Salama,” Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv.
Who is Mohammed Deif?
Israel believes that Deif and Hamas’s top Gaza official, Yahya Sinwar, are the main architects of the October 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and sparked war between Israel and Hamas. Deif has been in hiding for more than two decades and is believed to be paralyzed– Has long been at the top of Israel’s wanted list and is believed to have escaped multiple Israeli assassination attempts. On October 7, Hamas released a rare voice recording of Deif announcing the “Al Aqsa Flood” operation.
Ceasefire negotiations stall
Saturday’s deadly attack came at a delicate time for ceasefire efforts. Deif’s death would give would give Israel a great victory and deal a painful psychological blow to Hamas.
Netanyahu said Israel would not end the war until Hamas’s military capabilities were destroyed, and Deif’s death would be a significant step in that direction. But Deif’s assassination could also embolden Hamas to harden its positions in the negotiations.
