Israeli attack targets Hamas military commander

By The Associated Press

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel said it carried out a massive attack on Hamas’ secret military commander in the crowded southern Gaza Strip on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was “still no absolute certainty” that Mohammed Deif and a second Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, were killed.

Deif and the highest-ranking Hamas official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, are considered in Israel to be primarily responsible for the October 7 attack that killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and sparked the war between Israel and Hamas. Deif, who has not been seen in public for years, was long at the top of Israel’s most wanted criminals list and is said to have escaped several Israeli assassination attempts. On October 7, Hamas released a rare voice recording of Deif announcing Operation Al Aqsa Flood.

The attack came at a sensitive time for ceasefire efforts. Deif’s death would be a major victory for Israel and a painful psychological blow for Hamas. It could also provide an opportunity for Netanyahu. On Saturday, the prime minister reiterated that Israel would not end the war until Hamas’ military capabilities were destroyed. Deif’s death would be a significant step in that direction.

All Hamas leaders have been sentenced to death and “we will get to them all,” Netanyahu said. He added that there were no hostages nearby at the time of the attack.

Deif has been in hiding for more than two decades and is considered paralyzed. One of the only known images of him is a 30-year-old passport photo published by Israel. Even in Gaza, few people would recognize him.

The Israeli military claimed that “more terrorists were hiding among civilians” and described the site as surrounded by trees and several buildings. An Israeli official said the attack hit a fenced area of ​​Khan Younis controlled by Hamas, saying it was not a tent complex but an operations camp. The official described the attack as precise. The army said the camp belonged to Salama.

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States are pushing to reduce differences between Israel and Hamas over a proposed agreement on a three-stage ceasefire and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

The US-backed proposal calls for an initial ceasefire with limited hostage release and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza. At the same time, the two sides will negotiate the terms of the second phase, which calls for full hostage release in return for a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Netanyahu said he would not back down from the US-backed proposal, but set out conditions: Israel has the right to continue the war until its goals are achieved, the return of as many hostages as possible in the first phase of the agreement, no return of Hamas fighters to northern Gaza and the prevention of arms smuggling, including control of the important Philadelphia Corridor between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 Hamas attack, in which militants entered southern Israel and kidnapped about 250 people.