Hamas leader Mohammed Deif presumed dead after IAF used JDAM bombs in Khan Younis attack

Palestinian health officials said the attack killed at least 90 Palestinians and injured up to 300 in the designated Al Mawasi humanitarian zone.

The region where Deif was believed to be hiding had few underground tunnels and was therefore a non-military target. Hamas took advantage of this to set up a secure compound for terrorists, which was attacked on Saturday morning with various rockets and munitions from air force fighter jets and drones, in greater quantities than in previous assassination attempts on senior Hamas figures.

Five heavy bombs (Joint Direct Attack Munition-JDAM) were dropped, including a bunker buster bomb, to ensure the elimination of both targets: Deif and Rafa Salama, the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade and his right-hand man.

The precise information was based on technological surveillance and human observation and led to confirmation that Deif was at the target location among huts, sheds and palm trees. The IDF released images showing the area before and after the attack.

Deif was at the top of Israel’s hit list for over two decades after planning terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada that killed or injured numerous Israelis. He had previously survived many attempts to kill him and was rarely seen in public due to his status as a terrorist.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a special press conference on Saturday evening after the attack on Mohammed Deif and Rafa Salama: “There is still no absolute certainty that the two have been eliminated.”

“One way or another, we will reach the top of Hamas,” he added, pointing out that before authorizing the attack, he wanted to make sure there were no hostages nearby, assessed the expected collateral damage and wanted to know what type of munitions the air force would use.

Netanyahu stressed: “The war will not end until we have achieved all the war goals – that is absolute victory. We see significant cracks in Hamas. We see weaknesses. Hamas leaders are hiding in underground tunnels. We are fighting and winning.”

Netanyahu also addressed the hostages’ families, saying: “The hostages are in our hearts at every moment. We have a moral responsibility to bring them all home. Only through pressure will we succeed in bringing the hostages back.”

Netanyahu said he believed there had been little progress in reaching an agreement to release the hostages because of insufficient military pressure on Hamas. “For months there was no progress because the military pressure was not strong enough,” he said.

He said he would not compromise on Israel’s basic demands for an agreement. “I have not deviated one millimeter from the framework that President Biden has presented,” he said. “But I will not let Hamas give one millimeter either.”

Referring to Hezbollah’s ongoing attacks on the northern border, the prime minister said: “We are not ready to accept the situation in the north. One way or another.”

On Saturday evening, four female soldiers were injured, one seriously, when shrapnel from an Iron Dome interceptor hit their base in Kiryat Shmona during a Hezbollah rocket attack. The four were taken to Sieff Hospital in Tzfat for medical treatment.