Hamas military wing head was killed in July strike, Israel says 

The Israeli subject said Thursday that it has confirmed that nan caput of Hamas’ subject wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed successful an airstrike successful Gaza successful July. The announcement comes a time aft an evident Israeli onslaught successful nan Iranian superior killed Hamas’ apical governmental leader.

The accelerated events this week person near U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators scrambling to salvage talks for a cease-fire woody successful Gaza. At nan aforesaid time, world diplomats were trying to avert an escalation into all-out location warfare aft nan assassination successful Tehran of Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh, Israel’s sidesplitting of a apical Hezbollah commandant successful a Beirut onslaught and – now – Israel’s announcement of Deif’s death.

There was nary contiguous remark connected nan Israeli declare by Hamas, which had antecedently said Deif survived nan July onslaught successful Gaza. A personnel of Hamas’ governmental bureau, Izzat al-Risheq, said successful a connection Thursday that confirming aliases denying his decease is nan work of nan equipped wing, known arsenic nan Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, which truthful acold was silent.

The elimination of Haniyeh and Deif — 2 of Hamas’ astir elder figures — brings a triumph for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. It besides puts him astatine a crossroads.

It perchance presents him pinch a governmental off-ramp to extremity nan conflict, allowing him to retreat from his lofty promises of “total victory” while showing Israelis that Hamas’ subject capabilities suffered a debilitating blow.

It could besides lead him to harden Israel’s position successful cease-fire talks, pinch Israeli officials insisting nan blows to Hamas will unit it to compromise. Hamas excessively could excavation successful arsenic good successful nan talks — aliases discontinue them entirely.

Israel believes that Deif, nan caput of Hamas’ military, and Yahya Sinwar, nan apical Hamas leader successful Gaza, were nan main architects of nan Oct. 7 onslaught that killed immoderate 1,200 group successful confederate Israel and triggered nan Israel-Hamas conflict. Sinwar is believed to stay successful hiding successful Gaza.

Israel targeted Deif successful a July 13 strike that deed a compound connected nan outskirts of nan confederate Gaza metropolis of Khan Younis. The subject said astatine nan clip that different Hamas commander, Rafa Salama, was killed. More than 90 different people, including displaced civilians successful adjacent tents, were killed successful nan strike, Gaza wellness officials said astatine nan time.

In a connection Thursday, nan Israeli subject said that “following an intelligence assessment, it tin beryllium confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated successful nan strike.”

In its 10-month-old run of bombardment and offensives successful Gaza, Israel has killed immoderate 39,480 Palestinians and wounded much than 91,100 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not differentiate betwixt civilians and combatants. More than 80% of nan organization of 2.3 cardinal person been driven from their homes, nan immense mostly crammed into shelter camps successful nan southwest area of nan territory, pinch constricted nutrient and water.

So acold Netanyahu has said he is wished to proceed nan warfare until Hamas is destroyed. Far-right nationalist conjugation partners, connected whom he relies to enactment successful power, person threatened to bolt nan authorities if he halts nan conflict.

After nan announcement connected Deif, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nan “defeat of Hamas is person than ever.” He said nan subject would proceed to “eliminate thousands of different terrorists until our information is restored and we bring nan hostages home.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said nan onslaught that killed Deif was a “significant milestone” toward achieving nan goals of nan war. “The results of this cognition bespeak that Hamas is an statement successful disintegration,” he wrote connected X.

Deif was 1 of nan founders of Hamas’ subject wing, nan Qassam Brigades, successful nan 1990s. He led nan portion for decades done campaigns of termination bombings against Israeli civilians, volleys of rocket occurrence into Israel, and repeated past Israeli assaults connected Gaza since Hamas took powerfulness location successful 2007.

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He remained a mysterious, underground fig successful Gaza. He ne'er appeared successful public, was hardly ever photographed and only seldom was his sound heard successful audio statements. He survived a drawstring of Israeli assassination attempts.

Haniyeh’s sidesplitting successful peculiar threw into disarray months of efforts astatine reaching a woody for a cease-fire successful Gaza and a hostage release. Haniyeh had been a main negotiator successful those talks.

Qatari and Egyptian officials had tense exchanges pinch U.S counterparts complete nan assassination, said an Egyptian charismatic pinch nonstop knowledge of nan talks, speaking connected information of anonymity to talk nan soul discussions.

While nan U.S. has been pressing Egyptian and Qatari mediators to get Hamas to compromise, nan Americans can’t “pressure nan different party, Israel to … refrain from provocative acts,” nan Egyptian charismatic said, calling nan assassination “reckless.”

Qatar’s premier minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, expressed vexation successful a station connected societal media, saying: “Can mediation win erstwhile 1 statement assassinates nan negotiator connected nan different side?”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that nan U.S. had nary anterior knowledge of nan onslaught successful Tehran that killed Haniyeh.

The Egyptian charismatic said nary woody was apt successful nan adjacent early since Hamas must now sanction Haniyeh’s replacement. Mediators had been waiting for Hamas’ consequence connected nan latest type of nan deal. Instead, aft Haniyeh’s funeral, expected Friday, he said they will scope retired to Hamas officials to research nan adjacent steps.

After Haniyeh’s assassination, Iran has vowed revenge against Israel, and nan sidesplitting of Hezbollah commandant Fouad Shukur successful Beirut could besides bring reprisals — raising fears of a wider spiral of escalation.

The Egyptian charismatic now said nan privilege was preventing full-scale war.

Magdy reported from Cairo.