The Israeli military said it killed the Hamas leader who was the main planner of the Oct. 7 attack that started the Israel-Hamas war. Israel claims to have killed Muhammad Deif in a southern Gaza airstrike in July.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said its conclusion that Deif was dead was based on an intelligence assessment, though it did not offer details.
Deif, who hasn’t been seen in public for year, has been on top of Israel’s most-wanted list for years and is believed to have escaped multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
His fate has been unclear since Israel targeted him in a major attack that killed at least 90 people in Khan Younis on July 13.
Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied his death.
The Israeli military’s claim that Deif is dead comes a day after Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an alleged Israeli strike on Tehran.
