A massive Israeli airstrike in Gaza Saturday targeted the Hamas commander considered the mastermind of the horrific Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the war — but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it is unclear whether the notorious terrorist was killed.
Israel Defense Forces dropped five 2,000-pound bombs on a fenced-off compound where Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, were holed up, according to multiple reports.
Outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference “is not absolutely certain” the two Hamas leaders had been eliminated during the overnight strike, but boasted that the attack had been possible because Israel had “rebuffed the many pressures” domestically and abroad to end the war early, according to The Times of Israel.
The Israeli leader promised to take out all of Hamas’ leadership “one way or another.”
Deif is widely viewed as Hamas’ second-in-command in Gaza behind the supreme terror boss Yahya Sinwar. Long sought by the Israeli military, his death could derail cease-fire talks, but would also be seen as a major victory for Israel.
Witnesses said the strike landed inside the al-Mawasi refugee camp, an Israeli-designated safe zone located west of Khan Younis. Palestinians have been told to flee there to escape fighting in other parts of the war-torn enclave.
The huge bombs left an enormous crater filled with little but dust where the compound once stood, images on social media showed.
The IDF acknowledged the targeted compound was in a civilian area, but said it was not part of a camp for displaced Palestinians. The IDF, which released before-and-after images of the site that showed a fenced-off area, said no Israeli hostages were held at the location.
“The area that was struck is an open and forested area, with several buildings and sheds,” the military said.
In a statement, Hamas denied that Deif had been targeted in the strike and that it was an excuse to justify “the extent of the horrific massacre.”
Unverified reports from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said at least 90 Palestinians were killed and another 300 injured in the strike. Hamas figures do not distinguish between civilian and terrorist casualties and the group is known to hide high value targets in densely populated areas.
“Israel targeted October 7 mastermind Muhammed Deif, head of the Hamas military wing,” said Eylon Levy, a former Israeli government spokesman, on X Saturday. “If he was hiding among civilians in a makeshift camp, that shows how determined Hamas is to use civilians as human shields and sacrifices.”
Videos circulating on X showed Israelis breaking into celebration when news of the strike was announced.
Long before the current war, Deif was wanted by the Israeli military and became infamous for his ability to elude capture or assassination. In December, Israel placed a $100,000 bounty on his head, the Times of Israel reported.
In recent days, Israel received intelligence that there was the possibility it could take out Deif, but the opportunity to strike only emerged in real-time, one official told The Wall Street Journal.
The Saudi Al-Hadath news channel, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hamas is now investigating a “major internal breach” following Saturday’s attack, according to The Times of Israel.
Deif and Salameh relocated several times in recent weeks to avoid Israeli strikes, the sources said. Israel received intel for the strike from informants who knew about the locations of the terror group’s leaders, along with “second or third tier” Hamas officials who had been arrested and interrogated.
In May, the International Criminal Court said it was seeking arrest warrants for Deif along with Sinwar and other senior Hamas leaders, on war crimes charges committed during the Oct. 7 attacks.
The strike comes as U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators continue to work to narrow the distance between Israel and Hamas over a proposed deal for a three-phase cease-fire and hostage release plan in Gaza.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry condemned Saturday’s strike and demanded that Israel “cease its attack on civilians,” TOI reported.
Family members of the Israeli hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 fretted whether the strike on Hamas’ military leaders would kill the latest round of ceasefire talks.
“We’re all for settling the score with the Hamas murders, but not at the cost of our loved ones’ lives and our chances to get them home,” Einav Zangauker, whose son, Matan, is still in Hamas’ clutches, reportedly told Israel’s Channel 12.
“If [Hamas military wing commander] Muhammad Deif was eliminated with a hostage deal on the table, and Netanyahu doesn’t get up now and say he’s willing to take the deal, even at the price of ending the war, that means he’s given up on my Matan, and on the rest of the hostages.”
During the Saturday night press conference, Netanyahu shared that he had signed off on the strike once he learned that there were no hostages in the area and the degree of the potential collateral damage from the strike.
The prime minister reminded the Israeli people, he promised at the start of the war that Hamas’ leadership behind the Oct. 7 attacks, “from the first to the last,” would be killed.
Deif’s death and those of other Hamas’ leaders, he added, would further Israel’s wartime objectives of freeing the hostages, eliminating the terror group, and preventing any further threats to the Jewish state from Gaza, while also sending a warning to Iran.
