Hamas confirms Israel killed military wing head Mohammad Deif last year
Hamas confirmed the death of Mohammad Deif, head of its military wing and one of the alleged masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack, six months after Israel announced he was killed in an airstrike in Gaza.
It was Hamas’ first statement on his condition since the Israeli military announced last August that he was killed in southern Gaza the month before. Hamas also confirmed the deaths of four other members.
Arab television networks cut into livestreams of the Palestinian prisoner release to carry a press conference delivered by Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, who confirmed the death of Deif.
For years, Deif topped Israel’s most-wanted list and survived a string of Israeli assassination attempts while not showing his face in public for decades. Deif was considered iconic among Hamas fighters and particularly hard to replace. But Israel has eliminated Hamas’ leadership in the past, only to see the deeply entrenched group continue fighting Israel.
The other militant leaders confirmed as dead by Hamas include: Marwan Issa, the second-in-command to Deif, who also helped mastermind the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel; and Rafaa Salameh, the Hamas commander in the southern city of Khan Younis. Israel had announced their deaths in targeted strikes last year.
Source: Associated Press
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