Israel says Hamas's military wing chief killed in airstrike last month

The Israeli military said Thursday that Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's military wing, was killed last month in an airstrike.

Deif was believed to be one of the top militants behind the Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza and left more than 1,200 people dead. About 250 others were taken captive.

The military official was also thought to have escaped or survived multiple assassination attempts and had not been seen in public in years.

The announcement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) comes nearly two weeks after Israel launched a strike in southern Gaza, targeting Deif, and Hamas's top Gaza official, Yahya Sinwar. At the time, Israeli forces did not confirm whether the July 13 strike killed either official.

Hamas has claimed Deif survived last month's attack and did not immediately comment on the IDF's death confirmation, per The Associated Press reporting. Sinwar, however, is believed to still be in hiding in Gaza, the news wire noted.

"Muhammad Deif, the ‘Osama Bin Laden of Gaza,’ was eliminated on 13.07.24," Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote Thursday on social media platform X. "This is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war."

Gallant added that the strikes were conducted "precisely and professionally."

At least 90 Palestinians were killed in the July 13 strikes, local health officials said last month.

The confirmation of Deif's death comes just over a day after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike in Tehran while visiting for the inauguration of the Iran's new president. The nation's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to seek revenge after Haniyeh's death, bringing the region closer to an all-out war.

The AP and other outlets said the death was reported by Hamas and Iran. Israel has not claimed responsibility, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave defiant remarks following the news, saying the IDF is achieving its war aims.

Israel's war with Hamas has persisted in Gaza for nearly ten months, killing about 39,480 Palestinians and wounding more than 91,100 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. More than 80 percent of Gaza's population were forced out of their homes and into tent camps with limited access to food, water and medical supplies.

Deif was the head of Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, since the 1990s, leading the group in various suicide bombings against Israelis and helping to build a supply of rockets to strike into Israel, the AP reported.

The Associated Press contributed.