Israel: Hamas brigade commander killed in Gaza attack – DW – 14.07.2024

The Israeli military said on Sunday that the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, Rafa Salama, was killed in an airstrike on the al-Mawasi camp in the Gaza Strip.

The camp – a safe humanitarian zone in the south of the Gaza Strip where hundreds of thousands of people are reportedly seeking shelter – was attacked by Israeli forces on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Salama’s death “significantly affects Hamas’ military capabilities.”

According to Israeli sources, he was one of the closest confidants of the head of the armed wing of the Palestinian militia, Mohammed Deif.

The Israeli military said Salama was involved in planning the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which Israeli officials said killed nearly 1,200 people. More than 250 people were also taken hostage, and the fate of many of them remains unknown.

The attack spurred Israel to launch a counter-offensive in the Gaza Strip.

No confirmation of Salama’s death by Hamas

While Israeli forces say Salama is dead, Hamas has not confirmed whether Salama was killed in the attack.

Israel said it had attacked both Deif and Salama.

A Hamas official said on Sunday that Deif was alive. It is unclear whether he was in the area at the time of the attack.

Deif has been one of Israel’s most wanted men for decades. The Israeli authorities hold him responsible for the murder of numerous civilians and soldiers. There have been at least six attempts on his life before.

In a statement, the militant group said Israel claimed it targeted the two senior Hamas officials “to cover up the extent of the gruesome massacre.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was still no absolute certainty about Deif’s fate.

Dozens dead, hundreds injured

According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the Gaza Strip, at least 92 people were killed and 300 injured in Saturday’s attack.

Survivors spoke of their anger that the attack came without warning in an area that had been told was safe.

“Where should we go?” asked Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who had heard two impacts and was holding his children in his arms. Then he woke up in the hospital and realized that his son had died.

The family has been displaced five times since the war began, he said.

UN representative describes “horrific” scenes

A UN official described the utter chaos at Nasser Hospital, where the victims of the airstrike were taken.

“I have witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza,” UNRWA Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and Director of Gaza Affairs Scott Anderson said in a statement.

“I have seen young children who have had both legs amputated, paralyzed children who could not be treated, and others separated from their parents,” he said. “I have also seen mothers and fathers who did not know if their children were still alive.”

Although the al-Mawasi camp has been declared a security zone, several fatal incidents have occurred there, blamed on Israeli attacks.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported another attack on a UNRWA-run school facility in Nuseirat on Sunday, killing 15 people and injuring dozens.

The Israeli military said it had carried out attacks against Hamas fighters near the site and used the facility as a base. DW could not confirm either side’s version of events.

Months of talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt and with US support have so far failed to end the conflict.

msh,mm/dj (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)