Israel’s military has confirmed that Mohammed Deif, the military chief of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip last month.
Deif was targeted on July 13 during a strike on a compound in the Khan Younis area. Hamas has yet to confirm his death.
According to Israel, Deif played a key role in planning the October 7 attacks in southern Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
On Wednesday, Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh was reported killed during a visit to Iran, though Israel has not directly commented on this.
In a statement on Thursday, the Israeli military confirmed Deif’s death following an intelligence assessment.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health authorities had previously reported that the airstrike killed more than 90 people but denied that Deif was among them.
Deif was considered the second-highest official in Hamas in Gaza, behind Yahya Sinwar, the group’s leader there.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, described Deif’s death as “a significant milestone” in the effort to dismantle Hamas.
“This operation reflects the fact that Hamas is disintegrating, and that Hamas terrorists may either surrender or they will be eliminated,” he added.