Israel on Thursday claimed to have confirmation that it had killed Hamas' military chief in Gaza and head of the Al-Qassam Brigade, Mohammed Diab "Deif" Ibrahim al-Masri.
"Mohammed Deif, the Osama bin Laden of Gaza, was eliminated" on July 13, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday. He added that Tel Aviv believes Deif had initiated, meticulously planned and then executed the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel in which over 1,000 Israelis - mostly police and military - were killed while some 251 people were taken hostage - 111 of which remain in Hamas custody.
The announcement comes a day after Hamas' Political Chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in a precise airstrike in heavily guarded Tehran. Iran accused Israel of carrying out that attack.
The Israeli military said that they had tracked and struck Deif in Khan Yunis through an air strike on July 13. Following "an intelligence assessment, it can be confirmed that Mohammed Deif was eliminated in the strike."
Moreover, the Israeli army estimated they had killed one of Deif's top commanders, Rafa Salama, in the strike.
Health authorities in Gaza said the strike referred to by Israel had left some 90 people dead.
Hamas, however, denied Deif was among them.
Deif, whose full name is Mohammed Diab al-Masri, was born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in 1965.
Deif became head of Hamas's armed wing, Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in 2002.
He was among Israel's most wanted men for nearly three decades and on a US list of "international terrorists" since 2015.
Earlier in the year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim AA Khan filed an application in the ICC seeking warrants over the situation in Palestine. The warrants were sought for the Israeli leadership, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Simultaneously, he also sought warrants for the leadership of Hamas, including Hamas Chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, Hamas Military Wing - Al-Qassam Brigades Commander al-Masri and Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh for criminal responsibility in perpetrating war crimes against humanity committed in Israel and in the Gaza Strip from October 7, 2023.
"My Office submits there are reasonable grounds to believe that Sinwar, Deif and Haniyeh are criminally responsible for the killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians in attacks perpetrated by Hamas (in particular its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades) and other armed groups on October 7 2023 and the taking of at least 245 hostages," the application stated.
If confirmed, Deif's death would be a major blow for Hamas, who would have lost two senior members in quick succession. It leaves only Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza. It is unclear what process will be adopted, if any, and at what speed to replace Haniyeh and Deif.
However, this also signals a major victory for Israel and its embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has only just returned from a mixed-bag tour to the US, where he received a standing ovation while addressing a special joint session of the upper and lower houses of the US parliament, apart from frosty meetings in the White House. Pressure has been mounting domestically on Netanyahu to resign for his mishandling of the conflict, which he seems to be intent on expanding into a regional conflict, the likes of which have never been seen before.