Top Hamas military leader eliminated last month, confirms IDF

Tel Aviv, Aug 1 : The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday confirmed that Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the air strikes carried out by the IDF fighter jets, last month.

"On July 13, the IDF fighter jets struck in the area of Khan Yunis, and following an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that the attack killed Mohammed Deif, the commander of the military arm and number two in the terrorist organisation Hamas in Gaza, which planned and carried out the murderous massacre on the October 7, last year," the IDF said on Thursday.

The operation was carried out jointly by the IDF and Israeli Security Agency, Shin Bet.

"The Air Force planes targeted a compound where, according to accurate intelligence from the Amman and the Shin Bet, Deif and Rafe Salama, the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, were hiding, and were killed. Along with them, other terrorists were eliminated," the statement added.

Deif, according to the IDF, planned and carried out many terrorist plots against Israel in recent years as he managed Hamas's terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip, issuing orders and instructions to the senior military wing of the organisation.

"Deif worked closely with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and contributed to the organisation's strengthening in Judea and Samaria," the IDF detailed.