Israel launched a major airstrike on the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, which it said targeted the commander of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif. Hamas said at least 90 Palestinians were killed and more than 300 wounded, while senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya said: Al Jazeera that Deif was not killed.
“We tell (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu that Mohammad Deif is listening to you right now and mocking your lies,” al-Hayya said Al Jazeera.
At a press conference, Netanyahu stated that Israel would ultimately hold all Hamas military leaders accountable and that Deif, whom Israel had repeatedly attempted to assassinate, was responsible for the deaths of many Israelis.
“His hands are stained with the blood of many Israelis,” Netanyahu said. “At the beginning of the election campaign, I made a rule: Hamas’ murderers are dead men, from the first to the last.”
Hamas officials said the attack hit a strip of land in the Mediterranean called al-Mawasi, where Israel says Palestinians would be safe if they evacuated other areas of the Gaza Strip in accordance with Israeli demands.
In a statement, Hamas said that Israel’s claim that it was an attack on the Hamas leader was false.
“The Israeli accusations are nonsense and aim to justify the cruel massacre. All the martyrs are civilians and what happened was a serious escalation of the genocidal war, supported by American support and the silence of the world,” Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters. He also said the attack showed that Israel had no interest in a ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli airstrike came amid reports of progress in ceasefire talks that are expected to lead to the release of remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for a longer ceasefire in Gaza and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Weekly demonstrations in Israel calling on the government to accept the ceasefire have grown in number and intensity. At a demonstration on Saturday evening, protester Ayala Metzger said she hoped the attack on Deif would not derail the hostage negotiations.
“I don’t know anything about Mohammed Deif,” she said. “I know that keeping the war going is bad for all of us. It must end, and we must bring the hostages back. I think Netanyahu killed Mohammed Deif and with it his image of victory. Let’s bring them back now, that’s all.”
There are still 120 Israeli hostages in Gaza, but at least 43 of them have been confirmed dead. Israeli officials say the survivors are running out of time and are urging Israel to accept the US-backed three-stage ceasefire agreement.
Israeli analysts say that if Deif is killed in the airstrike, Hamas could suspend ceasefire talks in response. The Israeli army also urged Israelis to prepare for possible rocket attacks by Hamas. In the first weeks of the war, Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel, but that rocket fire has since dropped significantly.
According to Israel, the mysterious Deif was one of the architects of the October 7 terrorist attacks, which resulted in thousands of Hamas fighters entering Israel and killing some 1,200 Israelis. Some 250 hostages were also taken, of whom about 100 were released under a ceasefire agreement in November.
In response, the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 38,200 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. In May, Israel estimated the death toll at 30,000 and said most of the dead were fighters.
Nearly three-quarters of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced and almost the entire population is at risk of famine, according to the United Nations.
