On August 1, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the elimination of Mohamed Deif, the leader of the militant wing of Hamas.
Deifʼs death has been reported since at least mid-July. The IDF reported that he was in the same room as the commander of the Hamas brigade in Khan Younis Rafaa Salameh during the July 13 attack on the Gaza Strip.
Then IDF fighter jets struck the compound where Deif and Salameh were staying. The liquidation of Salameh was confirmed a few weeks ago. During the strike, other terrorists were also eliminated, the IDF says.
Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds and organizers of the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel that triggered the current escalation of the Gaza war.
Deif is one of Hamasʼs most notorious fighters, having led the groupʼs combat wing since the mid-1990s. He topped Israelʼs most wanted list for decades and is personally responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.
The war between Israel and Hamas
The war has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, when militants of the Islamist group launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invaded the countryʼs territory and killed 1 195 civilians.
More than 1 200 people became victims of that attack, and more than 250 were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip, which killed about 300 IDF soldiers.
Hamas claims that at least 39 000 Gazans were killed during the Israeli operation, and hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their homes. It is impossible to confirm these data, especially the number of dead. Hamas does not separate civilians and fighters in its statistics.
A limited Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip continues, mostly around the city of Rafah. The prime minister of the country Benjamin Netanyahu declares the main goals to be "the destruction of the military and management potential of Hamas and the return of the hostages home."