2024-08-01 16:27:45
Mr Deif’s death was confirmed a day after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
An Israeli military official told CNN that they had received new intelligence in recent hours that allowed them to confidently confirm that Mr. Deif had been killed, nearly three weeks after the attack in Chan Yunis. The official declined to specify the nature of this intelligence.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it carried out a “targeted, targeted strike” on the compound where Deif and another commander, Rafe Salama, were staying. The IDF announced Salama’s death last month.
In recent weeks, Israeli officials said they had indications that their strike was successful, but so far have been unable to confirm that he was killed.
Last month, a strike against Deif hit a humanitarian zone in Chan Yunis, killing at least 90 Palestinians. Footage from the Al-Mawasi displaced persons camp shows bodies strewn on the street and collapsed tents.
M. Deif, an invisible and influential figure, is considered one of the October 7. the organizers of the attacks. He led the armed wing of the Palestinian militant group for more than two decades.
Mr. Deif is believed to have been born in the 1960s in the Khan Younis refugee camp, one of many such camps established in the Gaza Strip in the 20th century. in the late 1940s, displaced Palestinians who were prevented from returning to their homes by the newly created state of Israel.
Born Mohammad Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, he later became known as “El Deif,” or “The Guest,” for his habit of staying in a different house every night for decades to avoid Israeli tracking and killing.
Deif was at the top of Israel’s most wanted list for decades, holding him responsible for the deaths of dozens of its own citizens. Both the US and the EU have blacklisted him as a terrorist.
Prepared by CNN.
2024-08-01 16:27:45