Did Israel just kill Hamas’ second in command?

Jul 15

Ryan Robertson Anchor/Reporter

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor/Reporter), Ally Heath (Digital Producer)

Hamas’ military commander, Muhammad Deif, may be dead. Israeli officials said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a precision strike into the Khan Younis region of southern Gaza. Deif allegedly met with Rafa’a Salameh, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade and a close friend of Deif, in the area of the strike.

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Hamas said the IDF strike on Saturday, July 13, killed 90 people in the al-Mawasi camp. The IDF said the area was a safe zone for civilians. However, Hamas is known to operate within civilian zones, which the IDF will strike if the target is valuable enough.

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Satellite imagery showed the site before and after the strike. The compound where Deif and Salameh allegedly met was in the middle of an olive grove, but still very close to a refugee tent community.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayhu justified the attack by saying Deif was responsible for Israeli deaths as Hamas’ second-in-command leader.

Deif is rarely seen in photos and videos or in public. Israeli intelligence services labeled him as one of the country’s most wanted decades ago. Israel said Deif was the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks that began the conflict.

Intelligence reports also showed Deif led an effort to extend Hamas’ underground tunnel network and was responsible for planning dozens of suicide bombings in the 1990s.

Before the July 13 attack, Israeli forces attempted to kill Deif on at least seven other occasions. Those attacks wounded Deif enough that he needed to seek medical attention outside of the tunnel network. According to a report from The New York Times, the IDF reportedly waited until he emerged to strike him again.

The IDF confirmed it killed Salameh in the strike, but it could not yet confirm it killed Deif for certain. Hamas denied that Deif died in the attack.

Tags: airstrikes, Hamas, Israel, Israel Defense Forces

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE HAMAS MILITARY COMMANDER, MUHAMMAD DEIF MAY BE DEAD. ON JULY 13TH THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES LAUNCHED WHAT IT CALLED A PRECISION STRIKE INTO THE KHAN YOUNIS AREA OF SOUTHERN GAZA…WHERE DEIF WAS BELIEVED TO BE MEETING WITH RAFA’A SALAMEH, THE COMMANDER OF HAMAS’ KHAN YOUNIS BRIGADE AND A CLOSE FRIEND TO DEIF.

HAMAS SAID 90 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN THE STRIKE–AND CALLED IT A HORRIBLE MASSACRE AGAINST CIVILIANS.

THE STRIKE DID TAKE PLACE IN THE AL MAWASI CAMP–AN AREA THE IDF SAID WAS A SAFE ZONE FOR CIVILIANS. BUT HAMAS IS KNOWN TO OPERATE FROM WITHIN THE CIVILIAN POPULATION, AND THE IDF IS KNOWN TO LAUNCH SUCH STRIKES IF IT DEEMS THE TARGET IMPORTANT ENOUGH.

SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE SITE BEFORE AND AFTER THE STRIKE…THE COMPOUND WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OLIVE GROVE…BUT STILL VERY CLOSE TO THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS LIVING IN TENTS–FORCED OUT OF THEIR HOMES BECAUSE OF THE WAR.

ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANHAYHU SAID AS HAMAS’ ARCH MURDERER AND SECOND IN THE TERROR GROUP’S CHAIN OF COMMAND–

DEIF’S HANDS ARE DRIPPING WITH THE BLOOD OF ISRAELIS.

THE SHADOWY LEADER IS RARELY SEEN IN PHOTOS OR VIDEOS…LET ALONE IN PUBLIC…BUT ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE SERVICES SAY DEIF IS THE MASTERMIND OF THE OCTOBER 7TH ATTACKS…HE’S ALSO BEHIND HAMAS’ EFFORT TO EXTEND ITS NETWORK OF UNDERGROUND TERROR TUNNELS AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF DOZENS OF SUICIDE BOMBINGS.

FOR THE ISRAELI’S…DEIF IS A HIGH-VALUE MILITARY TARGET IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD…WHICH IS WHY THEY’VE TRIED TO TAKE HIM OUT AT LEAST SEVEN OTHER TIMES.

DEIF SUFFERED SOME MAJOR WOUNDS IN THOSE PREVIOUS ASSASINATION ATTEMPTS–AND REQUIRES THE SORT OF MEDICAL CARE YOU CAN’T GET IN A TUNNEL. SO, HE PERIODICALLY COMES OUT AND ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES…THE IDF WAS WAITING FOR ONE OF THOSE TIMES TO STRIKE…AND WERE MONITORING SALAMEH’S COMPOUND–HOPING DEIF WOULD SHOW UP THERE.

THE IDF CONFIRMED SALAMEH WAS INDEED KILLED IN THE STRIKE–BUT STILL NOT CONFIRMATION ON DEIF.

HAMAS OUTRIGHT DENIES DEIF DIED IN THE ATTACK–WHICH IS SORT OF TO BE EXPECTED. LOSING THE SECOND IN COMMAND AND LEADER OF ITS MILITARY FORCES WOULD CERTAINLY BE A STINGING LOSS FOR HAMAS.

WE HAVE PLENTY MORE REPORTING ABOUT THE WAR BETWEEN HAMAS AND ISRAEL–YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT AT S-A-N DOT COM OR ON OUR APP.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON.